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Content for Wednesday, March 14, 2012

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The Marine recruiter in El Cajon loved me

When Tom (not his real name) decided to enlist with the United States Marine Corps in 2008, he had been renting a bedroom in his older sister’s El Cajon home for over a year. His …

March 14, 2012
North Park Volunteer Patrol Will Target Rowdiness Outside Bars

At a March 13 meeting at the Lafayette Hotel, the North Park Community Association sponsored a meeting at which the Stonewall Citizens' Patrol presented their plans to expand into the North Park area. The volunteer …

The Strange Heaven of Mrs. Magician

By the time Mrs. Magician plays the Belly Up, their Swami Records debut Strange Heaven will have been released digitally. My advance copy reveals a collection of radio-ready indie power-pop tunes, all of them likeable …

March 14, 2012
Slave to Chocolate

When I was eight years old, I gave up candy. My mom was scared of the whole sugar thing. Had us on All Bran, for roughage, to rush the dangerous stuff through. Guess she scared …

March 14, 2012
Grant Grill’s Caipirihna

The national drink of Brazil, the caipirinha (kye-pee-ree-nah) has had such a powerful attraction for Brazilians that it almost brought the Ford Motor Company to a screeching halt. After Henry Ford discovered that the low …

March 14, 2012
When two-ply isn’t enough and light bulbs go poof

Hey Matt: Why has toilet paper technology maxed out at a mere 2-ply? Bar soap is constantly reminding us about the percentage of its moisturizer cream and I believe that there are now razors with …

March 14, 2012
Go Outside with the Cults

I’ve watched the music video for the Cults’ “Go Outside” at least a half-dozen times now, and I still don’t know what to make of it. Directed by Isaiah Seret, the video is assembled largely …

March 14, 2012
Irish Whiskey: A San Diego Taste Test

“You do know that God created liquor to keep the Irish from conquering the world, right?” I smiled at my Irish hubby. “And tea to keep Irish women’s mouths from yapping at their men?” he …

March 14, 2012
Tin Can Guerrilla Burgers

The Tin Can Ale House in Bankers Hill recently completed a renovation including new sea-foam green flooring, a shortened bar to make room by the stage, a kitchen, and a revamping of the venue’s namesake …

March 14, 2012
Crabby Mac & Cheese Balls

Growing up, I was always in the kitchen helping my dad and grandparents cook. Coming from a Greek and Italian background, food was a major part of our culture, and eating and preparing delicious food …

March 14, 2012
Plague of Kittens

We asked a dozen local musicos the best and worst things about their neighborhoods. Mark Haemmerle (Starcrossed): “Clairemont is conveniently located and has cheaper rent, but it’s kinda ghetto, and we have neighbors with big …

March 14, 2012
Hellhole Canyon and Maidenhair Falls

Despite the formidable name, Hellhole Canyon is one of the most delightful canyons in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, with sycamores, cottonwoods, and palm trees fed by intermittent streams. The goal of this hike is the …

Take a Hikey, Mikey

“They hired him to improve the morning-show ratings and he ended up bringing them down like a big anchor.” That’s how one employee at a competing modern-rock station described Mike Esparza’s two years at FM …

March 14, 2012
Can’t Park It in Grantville

Residents of Grantville and Allied Gardens and those living along Mission Gorge Road can agree on one thing: change is coming to the area. And it will come acres at a time, in the form …

SDSU’s High Cost of Jocks and TV

San Diego State University president Stephen Weber received total compensation of $306,856 during 2011, the year he retired, according to a database of state salaries recently posted online by the Sacramento Bee and confirmed by …

March 14, 2012
Tony Gwynn got salivary gland cancer but won't denounce chewing tobacco

When baseball icon Tony Gwynn revealed in 2010 that he had salivary gland cancer and blamed it on decades of using chewing tobacco, he set off firestorms: prominent Major League players and managers proclaimed they …

March 14, 2012
Reviewed: 21 Jump Street, John Carter, Let the Bullets Fly

The problem is not that “they don’t make them like they used to.” The problem is that they continue to make them about what they used to, and they continue to make them the way …

March 14, 2012
Susan Davis’s Stay-at-Home Junket

Over the years, Democratic congresswoman Susan Davis has traveled around the world many times and back on field trips paid for by the nonprofit Aspen Institute. Last year alone, she and husband Steve visited Barcelona, …

Color of Jerry Brown's Money

Democratic governor Jerry Brown continues to pick up San Diego money for his various causes. Among the latest big donors: software maker Intuit, with $20,000 to Brown’s 2014 reelection campaign, and the Barona Band of …

March 14, 2012
Worse Traffic Delays May Precede Border Crossing Openings

According to Tijuana’s daily Frontera, lack of binational coordination and U.S. budgetary bottlenecks could make the effort to ease border-crossing times a spectacular failure — a fracaso, as one Mexican official put it. Although efforts …

Rooms Filled with Light, by Fanfarlo

Thanks to NPR.org, fans of Fanfarlo were able to get their first listen to their new release Rooms Filled with Light. The London-based indie band once again delivers a solid album of pop melodies. Similar …

March 14, 2012
Stone Foxes Ooze Whiskey and Oil at Casbah

San Francisco blues-rock quartet the Stone Foxes opened their set with "Cotto," a song about a Puerto Rican boxing champion who lost in a famous bout with Manny Pacquiao in the 12th round. Fans looked …

March 14, 2012
Medieval Life in Winchester, England

William the Conqueror was a busy guy in 1066 after successfully invading and taking control of England. After being crowned king in London at Westminster Abbey, William immediately took control of the town of Winchester, …

March 14, 2012
The Big 5 in Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) in Tanzania includes the Ngorongoro Crater, covering 8,300 square kilometers and the only place on earth where mankind and wild animals co-exist in harmony. This uniqueness earned it a UNESCO …

March 14, 2012
A Great Escape, Part Two

Trial and Terror “Very few prisoners of war try to escape,” writes historian Dwight R. Messimer, “and very few of those who do, succeed.” When a German U-boat sunk his ship, Lieutenant Edouard Izac became …

March 14, 2012
The Imperfect Blog

Title: The Imperfect Blog Address: imperfectenjoyment.com Author: Dewan Gibson From: Otay Ranch Blogging since: 2009 Post Title: Black History Month is Over Post Date: March 4, 2012 I saw a brotha in a beat up …

March 14, 2012
Letters

It Ends Badly Regarding the March 8 cover story, “Bad House,” I just finished this story. I enjoyed it a lot, and when I got to the last page, which was page 40, the story …

March 14, 2012
My Last Love

for Clarissa My last love leapt into my life like a trapeze artist, flying across the air, arms outstretched, reaching toward me and I caught her, giving the crowd a scare. I took her quickly …

March 14, 2012
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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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