I think delivery drivers cut their teeth in Valley Center. What better way to test a newbie driver’s mettle than to drop him, unceremoniously, in the outback of the county, in an area with a …

When big brother Noel Gallagher, the chief songwriter, quit Oasis, the jury was out on how little bother Liam and the remaining members would survive. Apart from the erstwhile Noel, they return as Beady Eye. …

Snow covered East County on Saturday night, February 26. At 8:30 on Sunday morning, there was a light dusting of snow beginning at El Cajon Mountain and Ramona and continuing through the Cuyamaca Mountain range …

Shopping at Fresh & Easy stores on the weekends may also include interactions with picketers who are members of the United Food & Commercial Workers union. A blog posted last year on the Fresno Bee …

Encinitas resident Russell Levan spoke during the public comment of the February 23 city council meeting, voicing his concern for the cutting of eucalyptus trees along the railroad corridor in Leucadia. “Where does it become …

For a band that hasn't recorded an album in ten years, Sebadoh sounded as sharp as ever. Lou Barlow and Jason Loewenstein traded guitar and vocals throughout a two-hour set that drew heavily from the …

It’s midday and my friend and I have gotten off at the wrong stop. Chicago’s “El” train costs only $2.25 for one-way fares, and if used correctly (the key idea here) you can get anywhere. …

Many Americans don’t know where Taiwan is or mistake it for its Southeast Asian cousin, Thailand. However, for those of you unsure of Taiwan’s location, you’re missing out. Whether you’re a budget backpacker or a …

Standing in front of dozens of students at Perkins Elementary in Logan Heights on February 25, San Diego Unified School Board President Richard Barrera called on city council and the Centre City Development Corporation to …

Three women attacked a 32-year-old man inside the U.S. border-crossing building at 3:30 a.m. on February 25. A little earlier, this reporter passed a group of three screeching, belligerent women buying what appeared to be …

A woman 4 feet 9 inches tall and weighing 104 pounds was said to be driving with a lethal blood alcohol content when she crashed a car into people on the side of the road …

On Wednesday, February 23, Oceanside’s city council directed city staff to return in 90 days with an ordinance to repeal the $10,275 developer fee on construction of low-income housing units. The ordinance would give developers …

I’ve always loved university towns: the spirit, the energy, the combination of youthful, bustling enthusiasm and quiet intellectual reflection they exude refreshes me. Most university towns have a keen sense of place and radiate a …

Author: bowlajello Neighborhood: North Park Starting your own business is hard work. There’s the mission statement, the business plan, tax and insurance issues… You need to consider whether you want to be a sole proprietor …

The UCSD Library Committee has outlined a plan to close one or more libraries for the 2011–12 academic year as part of a $3 million budget cut to the libraries, reports the Guardian, UCSD's student …

Two female residents of Rosarito recently filed a complaint with the City, claiming local municipal police have been abusing their authority of late. Susana Reina and Virginia Hernandez live in colonia Los Ramos. Reina’s complaint …

The Irish are fond of their liquor and fond of it in its purest, simplest forms — a pint of Guinness, three swallows of John Powers whiskey, or even a dram of the Poteen (Eire’s …

The San Diego County Redistricting Advisory Committee met for the first time in county chambers on February 23. The five county supervisors appointed five committee members: Deanna Weeks, Andrea Skorepa, Bruce Reznik, Adam Day, and …

Thursday 24San Diego saxman Charles McPherson will blow through Anthology Thursday night. The Missouri native’s formative years were spent with bass great Charles Mingus, whom he toured and recorded with from 1960 through the mid-’70s. …

Thirty Years AgoWas the hunt for little Jimmy Beveridge botched? Since the conclusion two weeks ago of the biggest search in San Diego County history — an effort which failed to prevent the lost boy’s …

Problem Number One Thank you for the excellent cover story in this week’s issue of the Reader (Cover Story, February 17). I saw the cover leaving a local store and saw El Cajon mentioned. I …

It’s Willy’s badge that gets everyone’s attention. The sheriff’s badge. People run for the exit. Others yell, “Sheriff! Sing us ‘La Bamba’!” Okay, nobody ran. And not everybody recognized the blue eyes, the badge, the …

After the world premiere of his epic A Lie of the Mind in 1985, Sam Shepard told an interviewer that no matter what he wrote next, the critics would rip it to shreds. Instead of …

This column will appear several weeks after the particular Friday morning on which I am working on my laptop in the sunlight, and it is nice to think that this genuinely spring-like weather might continue …

Most happifying. I’m talking about University of San Diego’s win over St. Mary’s in the basketball — men’s side of the ball — division. It wasn’t a squeaker, it was a 74-66 beating. At the …

The San Diego Zoo Safari Park (in case you didn’t know, it’s the former Wild Animal Park) in Escondido sprawls over an 1800-acre expanse chosen for its resemblance to Africa’s most productive wildlife areas. Make …

“We decided we wanted something that doesn’t exist,” Bobby Bray (the Locust), a student of interdisciplinary computing and the arts at UCSD, says at the Camel’s Breath Inn in Mission Valley. “So we rolled up …

What if you threw your own sci-fi hip-hop musical and nobody came? “The seat count was 18 out of 803,” says Keven Porter Jr., who rented the Poway Center for the Performing Arts on January …

On January 14, members of folk-blues troupe the Silent Comedy posted a video on youtube.com/thesilentcomedy as they prepared for their tour with country singer and Academy Award–winning songwriter Ryan Bingham and his band the Dead …

“Is the baby outside?” asks my wife, alarm bubbling up through her groggy vowels. It’s summer, the middle of the night. We’re sleeping with the windows open, which is why we can hear the plaintive …

Like water funneling down the tract of the Colorado River, it often takes a while for some of the nation’s culinary trends to work their way into America’s Finest City. That’s not to say we …

Rain pelted the windows for days in November and December. Snow piled up in the mountains. Hubby Pat bought lift tickets to Mount Baldy, a small ski area in the San Gabriel Mountains about 100 …

When asked to name his musical influences, Mark Growden comes up with Joni Mitchell and Estonian classical-composer Arvo Pärt. Other than that, he draws a blank. “What I can tell you,” says the multi-instrumentalist by …

Crystal Castles is a Toronto duo that specializes in a kind of electronic pop that has been distorted to the point that listening to it is sometimes physically painful. That’s exactly the way their fans …

As a prophet, I am a dubious Nostradamus. But I will guess the Oscars. This is an itch that must be scratched. My regard for “the Academy” is much like that of nominee Melissa Leo …

The Life of a MinerIn August of 1870, when Louis Redman went to pick wild grapes along a creek over the mountain from Julian, he happened upon the American Dream. Something glinted in the rust-colored …

ABC promos for the new Matthew Perry sitcom Mr. Sunshine refer to his character as managing a “second-rate San Diego sports arena.” “They had a scout from the production company come down here around a …

Membership: 300 Pastor: Pastor Kevin Schultz Age: 48 Born: Milwaukee, Wisconsin Formation: Northwestern College, Watertown, Wis. and Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon, Wis. Years Ordained: 23 San Diego Reader: How long do you spend writing your …

Hey Matt: I burned toast. Pretty soon the whole house smelled like burned toast. Stronger than anything I can remember. Tell me why. — Great Gregg Cook, via email Hey, Grandma. Hey. Yo, Grandma. Here’s …

They sell newspapers on street corners. They wander around swap meets selling candy. They offer pamphlets in restaurants, taco stands, supermarkets, parking lots, malls, and homes. They carry around little wooden penny banks and ask …

My mother took a moral stand against it, said television was the work of the devil, said my father’s wanting it showed how weak he really was. But, for once, he stood firm. It was …

Persian Letters If there is a God…he must necessarily be just; for if he were not, he would be the most wicked and imperfect of all beings…. Men commit unjust acts because it is to …

As the City of San Diego scrambles for cash to fill its chronic budget hole, Mayor Jerry Sanders has put out the word that he is ready, willing, and able to become a pitchman for …

Walmart spent well over a million dollars last year on its efforts to beat back big labor’s big box ordinance and has announced an ambitious plan to build new stores all over town. So it’s …

Almost as surely as avocados grow, thieves steal them and turn the fruit into quick and untraceable cash. Over the past decade, San Diego County law enforcement agencies have stepped up patrols, pursuits, and prosecution …

Daily newspapers still report titillating items regularly. Early in February, the shapely Lady Catarina Pietra Toumei was charged in Manhattan with claiming she was a representative of the storied Guggenheim family as she tried to …

On Sunday, February 20, students and mentors from all over the county brought their team-designed robots to an exposition at Madison High School. The expo was a last opportunity to prepare the robots for a …

Two Escondido police officers said they ended up rolling in wet iceplant by the side of the road with a combative man who managed to get ahold of one officer’s taser and engage it. Officer …

Arriving on the tarmac at the Budapest airport, I walk down the steps of the airplane to an awaiting bus. It’s a grey, wintry day, and people are wearing heavy long coats and big fur …

Valentine's Day was last Monday, but the love fest was at Viejas Arena this Sunday, February 20, for Linkin Park. The crowd erupted into noisy fits of passion for the nu-metal, rap metal, and alternative …

Here’s a prescription for the unemployment blues: Look into a career in the healthcare field. Before you dismiss the idea as too expensive or time consuming or icky, check out this factoid; jobs in healthcare …

London’s Yuck is one of several new acts to lean on the ’90s indie-rock formula of distorted, busy guitar hooks, simple bass lines, and literate lyrics. But on their s/t debut, Yuck accomplishes something that …

A homeless encampment in the Tijuana River canal was set ablaze on Friday, February 18, as rains began to fall at around 3 p.m. The fire seemed to be the work of authorities, as the …

A 37-year-old man videotaped a 12-year-old girl taking off her clothes and then showering in his San Marcos home in 2007, according to prosecutor Keith Watanabe at the Vista Courthouse on Friday, February 18. Marc …

Who: Dave Svoboda Car: Honda Civic, 110,000 miles Previous cars: Two Nissan pickups and Honda Passport Where? UCSD to La Jolla Cheapest gas? Any Costco. What’s wrong with your car? Nothing…I love it! Listen to …

"The library budget has been cut significantly. We've lost a lot of staff, and [the department] has taken an unfair portion of the cuts," said Gary Knight, president of Escondido's library board of trustees during …

“Come out here. I can hook you up with a free massage, a place to stay, a snowboard and discounted lift tickets.” My sister then told me of her masseuse position in the luxurious RockResort …

During the February 16 meeting of the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee, consultant for Citygate Associates, Stewart Gary, presented a study that examined the city's fire department response capabilities. Among the major findings, the …

When it came down to a choice between spending her active years as a chemist with beakers and tumblers or as a mixologist with shakers and tumblers, Nunu’s star bartender Leighanne Chrusz opted for the …

On February 15, a judge ordered 64-year-old Nancy Lee Ellis held for trial on five different arson charges, four of which are felonies. Ellis is pleading not guilty. Testimony at the preliminary hearing suggested that …

Who knew that Virginia had vineyards? Certainly not me; however, I was pleasantly surprised to find that when researching what to do on my trip, my favorite two words appeared &mdash WINE TASTING! Some quick …

Marcy Thorne’s transcribing business started at her kitchen table. Let’s go back to the beginning. How did you get started as a transcriber? About 25 years ago, shortly after I moved to San Diego, I …

The simplest and most effective solution to California’s economic slump is to create more jobs. When people have jobs, they spend more money on goods and services and they pay more in taxes. Jobs are …

Iowa transplant Jaime Lynch says she moved to the Left Coast to compare Hawkeye and Golden State cocktail culture for future reference. “Eventually, I would love to own my own bar,” she explains. As it …

I’ve noticed if you’re a pug owner, you’re pug crazy. — Crystal Key ‘Is that a pig or a pug?” asked the little girl. “It’s a pug in a pig costume,” I said. “If you …

Please Dig In To Don Bauder and Moss Gropen: Regarding “the voters” having widely rejected Mike Aguirre and voted for Prop C profitization, I don’t believe it (“Bar Rejects Charges Against Aguirre” and “Water’s Monopoly …

"Complexity is the end of fun,” says Rick. He’s philosophizing at the bar stool to my right, here in this little wine bar behind Rosie O’Grady’s pub. This is up in Normal Heights. Rick’s talking …

If the Cryptkeeper opened a speakeasy, he’d lurch over to Cherry Bomb first to take notes. Wedged between a laundromat and a taco shop, the Banker’s Hill drinking dungeon sees black brick and red walls …

A sign you’re getting older: you start hearing your friends worry about their kids’ performance on the SAT. They all knew about the usual large-scale test-prep options, but I was curious about finding something on …

When is a guitar like a woman? When it’s in a country song. “She’s all mine for all night,” sings Lucero’s Ben Nichols. “The only girl a boy can trust is his guitar/ She’s my …

“Pretty little harmonies with a pretty little lady,” is how Veronica May describes the music of the Lovebirds, her new performance duo with Lindsay White. May — whose parents fronted the 1970s band the Flatlanders …

“Bicycling has a way of bringing more vibrancy to a city,” says Beryl Forman, marketing manager for the El Cajon Boulevard Business Improvement Association. “When you see a bunch of bikes in front of a …

It’s just past 3 a.m. on a Saturday night. Edward sits handcuffed in the back of an El Cajon police holding van. He watches through a smeared window while his black Ford Focus is hitched …

A Discourse of Free-Thinking …by Free-Thinking alone Men are capable of knowing that a perfectly Good, Just, Wise and Powerful Being made and governs the World; and from this Principle they know, that he can …

Thirty-Five Years AgoAmerica remains unique in turning popular culture into an industry. A book or movie with wide appeal will create the demand for subsidiary items that flourish momentarily in our national consciousness and then …

When he was ten miles from Placerville, in 1851, gold fever struck J.D. Borthwick hard. Five men slung heavy pickaxes by the roadside. They looked like “so many grave diggers,” but much more determined. Borthwick, …

Rob Steppke chairs the North Park Planning Group. He also sits on the Balboa Park Committee, an advisory committee to the mayor and city council. On February 15, Steppke asked his fellow North Park planners …

Membership: 35 Pastor: Dan Meyer-Abbott Age: 59 Born: Glendale Formation: San Diego State University, San Diego; Claremont School of Theology, Claremont Ordained: 34 years San Diego Reader: How long do you spend writing your sermon? …

When in 1853 Admiral Perry and what the Japanese called his “black fleet” (the ships were painted black and their coal-stoked engines puffed black smoke) sailed into Yokohoma Harbor, he couldn’t have known he’d be …

On February 7, the Electric Waste Band celebrated their 19th anniversary at Winstons in Ocean Beach, where they have played every Monday night since February 3, 1992. “We figure that’s roughly 950 shows, 1900 sets, …

For all of the welcome reunited San Diego acts scheduled to play the Michael “Stimy” Steinman memorial at the Casbah on Wednesday, February 16, one artist was especially missed when the lineup was announced. A …

Marnie Stern is an unusual kind of guitar hero. It’s not just that she’s a woman — that’s not so rare anymore. (As Stern points out in one song title, “Female Guitar Players Are the …

“I’ve got one band I can run around and scream to,” says Michael Turi, vocalist for the Old In Out, “and now with Trap Gold I’m sitting down and actually singing.” The Old In Out …

The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd If all the world and love were young, And truth in every shepherd's tongue, These pretty pleasures might me move To live with thee and be thy Love. But …

It’s coming on to spring. Fairbanks will see spring three months from now, Brooklyn two months, Austin one month. But, wherever you are, spring is a fine time to check out birding festivals. Put the …

As mad fans of Trattoria Antica in La Mesa, my friend the Lynnester and I were thrilled to hear that its exuberant Sicilian chef Francesco Basile had opened a new place in Hillcrest. (Here, his …

Bella has just finished telling me that, yes, she absolutely does believe in racial color-blindness. “I live it every day,” she says. “I’m married to a white man, and I don’t look at him and …

Talofa, Matt: As a tattoo aficionado, I recall reading that before it was destroyed during WWII, there existed a collection of preserved dermagraphics from Japanese yakuza members, and supposedly due to the atrocities in Germany, …

San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders, a self-styled liberal Republican who backed city hall’s failed Prop D half-cent sales-tax hike, has joined seven mayors from Arizona, Texas, and California in bashing conservative GOP presidential hopeful Mike …

The bidding process for contractors seeking to furnish the County with an elaborately outfitted truck to accommodate the sheriff’s bomb-defusing operations, first reported here last month, has been called off. “In the best interests of …

In 2005, Barry John Johnson left his job as city manager of Solana Beach, where he drew an annual salary of $149,344, to volunteer as a counselor at South Bay Community Services. At the agency’s …

A new bridge is rising over the Rio Tijuana with an on-ramp peeling off Via de la Juventud Oriente at the southwest corner of the Plaza Viva Tijuana shopping center. The new bridge is likely …

Sweaty boys aged between 7 and 27 filled the gymnasium at San Diego United Training Center on Sunday, February 13. The boys jumped and flipped over mats and off walls to the sound of thumping …

On the afternoon of February 14, the "landing gear" of a semi-trailer's undercarriage scraped the road, hanging up the big rig as it attempted to crest the steep hill on B Street where it meets …

After years of paying dues in various groups and collectives, Onry Ozzborn has put Northwest hip-hop on the map. His experiments in varying degrees of morose expressionism turned an artistic corner with the release of …

When 18-year-old Merrick James Boyer got pulled over on the 15 freeway last month, Escondido officers found a black duffle bag stuffed with jars and bags of marijuana on the backseat. Officers also confiscated a …

You'd think Cupid had put the kibosh on former Texas Is the Reason bassist Garret Klahn's new project. Dean, Bar Pink's dedicated sound jockey, fords the challenge of balancing Klahn's acoustic with John Herguth's electric …

She beguiles me. She fascinates me. Her knack for hovering right outside a lyric, desire pressed to the emotion(s) within (a scenario she evinces literally for "Goodbye, Little Yellow Bird") reminds me of no one …

Canadian singer-songwriter and three-time Grammy-winner Sarah McLachlan brought her tour to San Diego, where she played to a sold-out Spreckels Theatre downtown. There was no opening act. Instead, two members of McLachlan’s band, Buttefly Boucher …

Caliente’s so-called Last Chance Sports Book, next to the Yellow Cab lot and across the street from the entrance to Plaza Viva Tijuana, was done away with on or around February 12. Frequented by Americans …

The childhood magic of the rain is worn threadbare, and as I watch the drops pool into a river at the bottom of the hill, I ache to turn it back to color, like editing …

Imperial Beach's skate park, open since November 2010, is causing problems for neighborhood residents. The Imperialbeachpatch.com website recently reported that city manager "Gary Brown said several problems have emerged at the Recreation Center since the …

With hundreds of homeless people living in the Tijuana River canal under makeshift shelters and tents, more and more are being struck down by automobiles as they attempt to cross the adjacent Avenida Internacional, a …

During an overnight vandalism spree in late January, the storefront windows of more than 30 Ocean Beach businesses were defaced. Over 90 sheets of glass were deeply scratched; the replacement cost was estimated in the …

"I think what has happened over the past couple of weeks is a travesty," said Joe LaCava, chair of La Jolla's community planning group, during the February 9 meeting of San Diego's planning commission. LaCava …

One of the top-rail barkeeps at East Village Tavern & Bowl, Andrew Bennington has six years of mixology under his belt — enough, he says, to know a good margarita when he tastes one. In …

A visit to the Getty Center in Los Angeles makes a lovely day trip for Southern Californians. The Getty is quickly becoming the cultural heart of L.A.; for many out-of-town and international visitors, it’s now …

Grenoble, France, 1968: a sporting and outdoor destination unparalleled around the world. Host city of the Winter Olympics, hub for skiing, alpinism and focal point of a growing scientific industrial center. Fast-forward in time to …

Taipei, Taiwan, is slightly reminiscent of Hong Kong, but to really discover this island country, I suggest you travel along the east coast. To start your tour of Taiwan's natural beauty, take a three-hour train …

Raphael Ramey was declared guilty of murder by a jury on February 10. He had been accused of knifing, beating, and stomping to death a used-car salesman who failed to deliver a car to Ramey …

A couple of weeks ago, my husband came back from a work trip and we decided to grab something to eat at Barrio Star, the newish restaurant in Banker’s Hill purveying “Mexican Soul Food.” As …

Last summer, when the newly installed on-campus bike path along Campanile Walkway opened at SDSU, college president Stephen Weber stated, "Not all education takes place in the classroom." He was complimenting SDSU’s Enviro-Business Society and …

When the mayor's office released the City's 2012–2016 five-year financial outlook on February 1, there was cause for celebration. The outlook revealed that next year's $72.5 million budget shortfall had shrunk by $28 million due …

On Tuesday, February 8, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors passed a motion in a 3-2 vote to amend the County Code of Regulatory Ordinances "to allow a mentored, youth-only wild turkey hunt at …

Cilantro, found regularly in Mexican food, has received an unclean bill of health by Tijuana food inspectors. According to a report in Tijuana’s daily Frontera, a salmonella-contaminated cilantro from U.S. sources has been introduced into …

The cookie monster’s calling. You know me and my sweet tooth. Having apple-strudel dreams again. ’Specially now, as night comes on, and you feel like a little reward for having gotten through the day. Trouble …

Membership: 200 Denomination: United Church of Christ Pastor: Paula Elizabeth Born: Boston, Mass. Formation: Boston University School of Theology, Boston, Mass. Ordained: 13 years. San Diego Reader: How long do you spend writing your sermon? …

Heymatt: A bunch of us were wondering what’s the most common birthday. Is there a day that a lot more people were born? We have two friends who were born on September 30, so is …

Albert Seeley ran the U.S. Mail stage line from San Diego to Yuma and Los Angeles. In 1868, Seeley bought the Bandini residence in Old Town. When Alonzo Horton heard Seeley wanted to convert it …

What’s Up, Switzerland? If Ashley Gardner was referring to the United States when she stated it has been 100 years since women were allowed to vote, she is incorrect (“Well-Behaved Women Rarely Make History,” Cover …

Dakin and Macy Adams live on the southern slope of Mount Soledad, about a mile up from Bird Rock. Their terrace overlooks P.B., Mission Bay, and Point Loma. Pan left and there’s SeaWorld and, deeper …

The Box congratulates Green Bay. That was a good Super Bowl, solid B+. The better team won; more importantly, the better team covered. So, as we slip harbor from NFL World and set course for …

Thursday 10The Lady Killer, Cee Lo Green (Gnarls Barkley), is bumpin’ around the Southland circling a Sunday night Grammys date to perform with Gwyneth Paltrow and some Muppets. No joke. Cee’s a nominee for hit …

Zac’s 28th birthday party was what every respectable social gathering should aspire to be. Everybody at the Golden Hill house near 20th and Broadway was dressed as an approximate Tony Soprano, Louise Brookes, Blues Brother, …

Thirty-Five Years Ago[Susan] is alone this sunny morning, as she usually is while working.... Something catches her attention and she angles to a quick stop along the curb. Stepping lightly to the pavement, she walks …

Within 24 hours of being uploaded to YouTube in mid-January, the video for Laura Roppé’s song “George Clooney” earned her over 20,000 views and an interview with Billboard Magazine. As of this writing, Billboard has …

In many ways, things have never been better for music fans. Heard about a new band and you want to check them out? If you go on YouTube, you can probably find video of them …

“Can’t we just rent a goat and let it do the weed whacking?” moaned my hubby Pat. He had been cutting the tall grass for an hour and still had an hour’s work to do. …

This is a love story. It begins in Guadalajara and is rekindled four times a day in room 1204 of Chula Vista High, a setting that is not romantic. The windows of the band room, …

"You want to privatize my water? This isn’t Bolivia, Pal. We’re not going to let you thieve from us so you can get a seat on the board of directors of the winning firm. Take …

Recipe by Brent Calley, executive chef, Porto Vista Hotel I remember being at my grandfather’s house on vacation. I was about ten. Every night he would ask me what I wanted for dinner and then …

“The dancers had heard of the band and the song, but it was the dancers’ mothers that were freaking out,” says local singer Eric Sage, whose band the Bay City Rollers Featuring Ian Mitchell filmed …

Come live with me, and be my love; And we will all the pleasures prove That hills and valleys, dales and fields, Woods, or steepy mountain yields. And we will sit upon the rocks, Seeing …

My invaluable but doomed-to-be-forgotten thoughts about the Oscars must wait until the Reader before the big night on February 27. The news of this year’s San Diego Jewish Film Festival can wait until later in …

Ah, good taste, what a dreadful thing! Taste is the enemy of creativeness. — Pablo Picasso I mustered the energy to lift my head from the spot on the wall that had been holding it …

“An Imperialist Soldier’s Judgment Day” when that fateful bullet struck you turned instantly tragic forgetting sharp pant-creases and military salutes like a scaleless fish caught in a swamp clutching the cool moist earth you writhe …

If romantic love is a chimera, then so is its annual namesake. Our most convenient (if sometimes sketchy) online encyclopedia will give you this next paragraph — and more — but as for “Who was …

“You kind of get obsessed when you get into it,” says liquid-light artist Josh Bohannon. “Anything you can think of can be applied. There aren’t books about it or anything, so you have to figure …

In 1961, Judy Collins was a Greenwich Village folk singer with a strong debut called A Maid of Constant Sorrow. An Earth-mother type with astonishing blue eyes, Collins had an airy voice that floated above …

“As soon as we get home, it’s gonna be Chairs Missing time, and Tape Deck Mountain will be on a sort of hiatus,” writes TDM drummer Paul Remund in a January 29 email from the …

Like caterpillars marching to their own drummers, the rock-ribbed mountain ridges of the Anza-Borrego Desert nose this way and that, eventually finding their roots in the sand-drowned valleys sloping downward into the Salton Basin. The …

In an email to faculty and staff, on February 8, Southwestern College vice president Nicholas Alioto resigned from his position. Two months ago the president of the college, Dr. Raj Chopra, resigned. Alioto wrote in …

Things looked promising for the third annual San Diego Metal Swap Meet. “The first one [in 2009] was held on my driveway in City Heights,” says organizer Brian Parker about the bizarre bazaar that connects …

[John Rubio interviewed Channing Tatum February 2, 2011.] Rounding the top of the staircase of the Se Hotel (lusciously subtle decoration with an Asian accent), I almost miss him until we are introduced — Channing …

"Bar launches Aguirre inquiry,” shouted a Union-Tribune headline November 20, 2007. It was followed by many others: “State bar seeks details of meeting with Aguirre” and “Bar subpoenas bills of firms tied to Aguirre,” for …

San Diego may be having budget problems, but the City is still in the market for five brand-new shiny black FX HO Yamaha Waverunners, so-called personal watercraft that start at about $12,199 each, according to …

When Democrat Juan Vargas narrowly edged out Assemblywoman Mary Salas in last year’s primary race for the state senate’s 40th District, it was tantamount to winning the general election, thanks to the gerrymandering that both …

If any performer has earned the right to sing the blues, it's Gregg Allman. His brother died in a motorcycle accident in 1971 at the peak of the Allman Brothers band's ascent up the charts. …

Going to watch Yelawolf in Mira Mesa was like being let in on a secret. Even through several underwhelming openers (except for locals Black Resume, whose lively set seemed to gain a few new fans …

On February 7, during a meeting of San Diego's Audit Committee, councilmember Carl DeMaio followed up on the committee's November 8 recommendation that CCDC amend its bylaws to prohibit future lobbying activities by its staff. …

Escondido police officers brought three suspects to headquarters for alleged violations of probation and gang injunctions after midnight in the early morning hours of November 1, 2010, Halloween night. One officer, Raymond Solorio, then noticed …

On Saturday, February 5, at about 3:15 p.m., emergency personnel responded to a call from the Santa Fe Train Depot after a passenger fell off a train from San Luis Obispo. According to information obtained …

Eliza Doolittle had Professor Henry Higgins, Gilligan had the Skipper, and Lil Kim had Biggie Smalls. To find that perfect career you’ve been searching for, go out and nab yourself a mentor who will offer …

Leading economists are saying that the “Great Recession” of the last three years may be coming to a close, and that business, hiring, and the economy should be better in the coming year. Let’s look …

Jacqueline Schneider, founder of The Mint Collective, a San Diego-based creative consulting agency, explains the importance of personal branding. What is personal branding? Branding is what draws someone to a company or individual. It’s about …

Everyone who goes to work each day wants to believe that their employer is one of the best. But there are only so many companies that make the grade as the best companies to work …

I spent most of my days in Rome just walking around the beautiful, timeless city in awe. However, believe it or not, I was getting “bored” with my surroundings. I needed to get out of …

Before noon on Saturday, February 5, at the intersection of Sea World Drive and Sea World Way, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals protested Sea World's confinement of orcas. An activist’s sign read, "Honk …

Sam Beam, the heavily bearded indie virtuoso better known as Iron & Wine, has mastered the craft of the beautiful sad song. His folksy songs tell withered tales of loss and longing. Carrying these songs …

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, a Jay Leno favorite (two appearances in the past month), have been playing to packed houses across the country. Their show at House of Blues was no different. GPN, as …

One vehicle rolled over and another was severely damaged shortly after 10 a.m. on Thursday, February 3. A white hatchback owned by All Counties Courier was traversing Genesee Avenue just north of La Jolla Village …

Who: Thom Hogan Car: 2004 Toyota Tundra (company vehicle), 66,000 miles. Previous cars: 1998 Ford F150 (company vehicle) and 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier (personal vehicle). Drive where? I drive all over the county of San Diego …

A eucalyptus tree measuring at least 30 feet tall fell over at the Balboa Park Horseshoe Club on Wednesday, February 2. The tree’s roots were uprooted amid gusty Santa Ana winds. Nobody was hurt, but …

During a city council meeting last May, Chris Gonaver, Director of Environmental Services, told councilmembers that the City would no longer be using an outside environmental management program at Miramar Landfill. Instead, stated Gonaver, the …

On Wednesday, February 2, for his hatchet attack on two sleeping persons more than a year ago, former Border Patrol agent Gamalier Rivera was found guilty of assault, causing great bodily injury, and aggravated mayhem. …

A study from Tijuana’s Colegio de la Frontera Norte, released in January by researcher Alejandro Díaz Bautista, estimates that at least 80 percent of air pollution in the border cities of Tijuana, Mexicali, and Ciudad …

There’s something touching about being allowed into Mario Orduno’s circle. It’s not the first time Art Fag’s 36-year-old founder’s been approached by a journalist. After a couple weeks of postponements and awkward pauses, he admits …

Be Prepared Re “Brown Wants to Rein in Redevelopment Scams” (“City Lights,” January 27). Great read. Many are unfamiliar with bankruptcy. In 1995, I lived with people who prepared for declaring bankruptcy by spending as …

My last visit to Fallbrook Winery was in 2006; longtime restaurateur Ed Moore had invited me up to listen in on a blending session for the winery’s 2004 Merlot. But one blend led to another, …

The Kuzari, part II God commanded cessation of work on the Sabbath and holy days, as well as in the culture of the soil, all this “as a remembrance of the exodus from Egypt” and …

San Diego may be unique in American history as the only city that changed locations. In 1871, the county seat moved three-and-a-half miles south, from Old to New Town. The change, literally, tore the city …

The dark cabaret known as Tragic Tantrum launches their debut album Mirror, Mirror with a February 4 release party at Hillcrest’s Ruby Room. “The set will consist of the usual theatrics, drama, and some newly …

Last summer, I went to one of those big radio-station concerts where a bunch of bands that don’t have a whole lot to do with each other share a stage. That was how I saw …

Matt: My mom says I’m turning her hair gray from stress. Is that possible? — Bad Boy?, via email Well, ya know, she might be right. Science guys aren’t quite sure if stress hurries up …

What are you reading?“I’m just looking at different things from Marvel Comics. I’m a big graphic-novel fan. I like the Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimate X-Men series. I like the Marvel characters more than the DC …

How have I held off on a video-game console for so long? I have no idea. But for my oldest’s 14th birthday, I’m breaking down, just a little. I’m renting him a game truck. Kathy …

Contact: 6122 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego; 619-286-3251; allpeopleschurch.org Membership: 250 individuals Pastor: Robert Herber Age: 34 Born: Austin, Texas Formation: Baylor University, Waco, Texas; Antioch Training School, Waco, Texas Years Ordained: 4 years San …

Get a bicycle. You will not regret it if you live. — Mark Twain My first reaction upon seeing the girl and her bicycle on the hood of my car was shock. I stared forward …

Biutiful Biutiful is in the eye of the beholder, in this case one who is willing to appreciate the visceral realities of urban squalor: the confined quarters, the peeling walls, the stained sinks, and the …

San Diego quartet the Lanterns spent most of 2010 touring and playing sold-out shows with international acts such as And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead and Surfer Blood. Buzz started to …

Soda Bar opened in late 2008 at the former City Heights location of dubious dive Chasers. Set between a car lot and a Mexican herb shop on El Cajon Boulevard, the bar hosts local and …

Ever wonder what it’s like to sit at a poker table with a $2,000,000 pot? Not watch the game on TV or read about it on the internet, but sit at the table under insanely …

One of the largest vernal pools in California (39 acres at maximum capacity) lies in a shallow depression atop near-flat Mesa de Colorado, in southwest Riverside County’s Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve. Small vernal pools …

Thirty-Five Years AgoMarilyn Chambers, star of Behind the Green Door and Resurrection of Eve, appeared naked at the Capri Theater, answering questions and promoting her most recent film, Inside Marilyn Chambers, advertised in the progressive …

“He’s like family to me, and I’d do anything for him,” says Derrick (“St@tus”) Santiago about Eric (“E.S.”) Sanchez. Santiago and Sanchez make up the local hip-hop duo Secret Service. Santiago was talking about donating …

Suffering Suffragettes! Ashley Gardner stands inside the three-by-three-foot Women’s Hall of Fame mini-Greek temple and says three words to me as if they were Holy Scripture: “A hundred years.” She pauses. “Since 1911. That’s how …

because I’m grading papers and want a familiar background story where I don’t need to concentrate. Something about showbiz people with nothing better to do but to wound each other. Ten papers in, I’m startled …

Thursday 3The So So Glos’ SoCal stay is over. The band of brothers has been touring on the back of their Low Back Change Shift EP, a 13-minute, 5-song sock in the face for not …

So, I find myself re-reviewing a Cohn restaurant because the chef has changed. And soon there will be others (such as Bo-Beau, the remake of Thee Bungalow). Yes, I’ve laid my grudge to rest. That …

God created time, an old adage holds, to keep everything from happening at once. If so, then Willy Loman is running out of time. Events from now and yesterday inundate him, often with competing claims. …

Greg Davis formed Blood on the Saddle in 1982. The twang-and-thrash band spearheaded the L.A.-based cowpunk scene that included Tex and the Horseheads, Gun Club, and Rank and File. “It’s safe to say Blood on …

I had hoped that by now things would be looking better than they are for a still new year, but any momentary anxiety I might have had about running out of things to complain about …

Grace Potter & the Nocturnals’ “new” look is about 40 years old. In 2002, when they were starting out, the band’s look was “indie-rocker from the farm.” The Nocturnals were hayseeds, and Potter was the …

All that is left of the old Veterans of Foreign War post #1392 Canteen in Ocean Beach is a slew of memories and a room painted blue and red with white stars on the trim. …

Officer Derek Harvey was waiting at Lindbergh Field last March when the plane carrying the Mexican fugitive landed. The Carlsbad police officer couldn’t help grinning when he saw the prisoner brought toward him. Harvey had …

San Diego–based Bridgepoint Education, the for-profit online school that spends more on marketing and promotion than it spends on education, may now be escalating efforts to pump up its stock. It seems to be doing …

Her cousins, billionaires Alec and Tom Gores, are both making big news, what with their variously rumored attempts to buy the L.A. Dodgers and Detroit Pistons, respectively, but Hala Gores has been creating her own …

The political action committee of the San Diego Police Officers Association spent a total of $181,934 last year, a good portion of which went to advocate passage of Proposition D, the half-cent sales tax hike …

Anton Barbeau’s last one, Plastic Guitar, defied most expectations. Specifically, I didn’t expect a pop-monger to get funky courtesy of a few stealth Cake members, and the Jesus thing, while left-field, seemed sincere. Barbeau seems …

It's remarkable how savagely drunk some people get at the most mellow of concerts. Somewhere between the Jello shots and middle-aged women screaming during choruses like boy-band groupies, Amos Lee played an intricate, relaxed set …

While walking along the Embarcadero at 3 p.m. on Monday, January 31, I noticed concrete bubbling up from a hole in the road surface and into the storm drain. I turned around and noticed it …

A motorcyclist's right leg was severed Sunday morning, January 30, when a pickup truck backed into the rider’s path as he headed west on Meade Avenue. The 51-year-old Kensington resident's leg was cut off at …

With the 100th anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s birthday (February 6) days away, I am launching a proposal to rename the San Diego–Coronado Bay Bridge in honor of the 40th president of the United States. I …

Superior court judge Joan Weber commented that Joaquin “Jaws” Martinez’s description of chopping apart the body of his victim was “some of the most chilling testimony I have ever heard” in more than 20 years …