From the standpoint of “petro-tourism,” it very well could be that nearby Baja California peninsula, with its Mediterranean-like coastal climate and uncrowded beaches, is one of the best draws for Southern Californians looking for a …

The district attorney’s office raided two more homes March 22 in connection with the South County school district’s scandal. Affidavits, signed by district attorney investigator Vincent Giame, provided the basis for searching the homes of …

…sayeth now what Joy cometh and matter of Joy by [God’s] blessed presence. Anon at his coming the soul waxeth light and joyful, the conscience is clear and much in rest, the spirits that were …

We are living during very trying times. Stateside gasoline prices are headed through the roof while, with the correlated rise in the cost of goods and services, Americans with a desire to take a vacation …

Is it possible to have a strong connection to a place without ever having been there? Nearly every member of my family, other than myself, grew up in Saudi Arabia. My entire life I’ve heard …

Residents in Carlsbad's village area of town are miffed. One of their main thoroughfares, Jefferson Street, is closed to through traffic heading out of the downtown Carlsbad area, east over I-5 along the Buena Vista …

PARIS! All the tour books, online research, talking with friends who have been there, and pre-trip planning don’t prepare you for the overwhelming feeling of immersion once arriving in Paris. On a recent business trip …

January 15, 2010 — I’m hired into the USPS as a Transitional Employee (TE) in the city of San Diego. The job description states that this will never lead to a career position. The base …

Daylight The lights at Villingen shut off on schedule. Edouard Izac, Harold Willis, and 11 others would become the only Americans to try a mass escape from a German POW camp during World War I. …

"Kurios arene,” says Dave Rawley. He’s a Bible scholar carrying three heavy, worn Bibles. At least one’s in classical Greek. He’s been sitting and studying them over his Greek chicken, in the corner of the …

I see the signs that spring has arrived at the Kelly home: hours of planting, barbecue dinners on the patio, wafts of jasmine floating in the kitchen window, and loads of requests for baby animals. …

By the storm-surge law of openings, the weekly buzz of blab, this week’s column should lead with Wrath of the Titans or Mirror Mirror. They previewed too late for my use, but Matthew Lickona will …

Fatty Freelunch has been around the block. “We were the first band to play SOMA, and we were the last band when it closed.” Ms. Freelunch is talking about Len Paul’s original south-of-Market venue downtown. …

Mike Tyson is opening his one-man Vegas act, Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth — Live on Stage, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 13. It’s the same arena where he had an intimate encounter …

Shimmering in all its gold-plated decadence, the Starlite’s Cleopatra is worthy of the woman for whom it was named. According to Matt Hoyt, Starlite owner and sometime bartender, the drink serves as a seductive entrée …

Hey Matt, With baseball season just around the corner I thought you could shed a little light on something that’s been bugging me for years. Why in God’s name do baseball managers dress like the …

Name: Daniel Earnhart Age: 20 Occupation: Pharmacist's Assistant Neighborhood: El Cajon Where Interviewed: Barnes & Noble, Grossmont Center What are you reading? “Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, by Haruki Murakami, the Japanese …

Long-anointed the Queen of Boogie Woogie, Sue Palmer got her first taste of fame while touring the world with blues-diva Candye Kane, even if she didn’t connect the dots with her own rising celebrity. “I …

It was shortly after 6 a.m. and still dark outside. Dozens of cars populated the parking lot, but I couldn’t locate any bodies. “There,” I said, when I caught the pink flash of a young …

To get the full impact of the view from the top of the overlook of the Bill Kenyon Trail, do this hike during morning hours or later afternoon when shadows are most prominent on the …

A Tijuana pedestrian was instantly killed Monday around 8:30am when he was struck by a delivery van caroming off a public bus, a collision ultimately involving three vehicles at the rain-slickened juncture of Revolucion and …

San Diegans were shocked last December when local headlines linked prominent South Bay figures to a plot to smuggle Muammar Gaddafi’s son out of Africa and into a Mexican resort near Puerto Vallarta. The alleged …

The alleged international smuggling plot involving Libyan dictator Muammar Gadaffi’s son and Canadian consultant Cynthia Vanier continues to coil around itself like a snake. In pursuit of the story, Canada National Post writer Stewart Bell …

Bravo, Cygnet Theatre! Their largest production to date easily ranks among their finest. Cygnet’s doing such a magnificent job with Parade, it’s hard to believe the musical had an iffy track record. Although it earned …

Smokin’ Joe Kubek and Bnois King are a blues band with two lead guitars. In the hyperactive world that is guitar-fronting, twin leads requires checked egos and dissimilar performance styles. Bnois (pronounced Buh-noise) King, from …

Serengeti has followed up one of 2011's most moving records, Family and Friends, with the absurdist tale of Kenny Dennis. Written from the perspective of Serengeti's 45-year-old alter ego, a bratwurst-gorging, sports-crazed Chicagoan, the Kenny …

Hell hath no fury like a bureaucrat fearful of losing a cushy job or a real estate kingpin fearful of losing a fat government subsidy. Therefore, the move to bring back redevelopment in some form …

Prior to their self-titled debut, set for release on April 3, the Lumineers kicked off a tour with a stop at the Casbah. The threesome from Colorado create alarming folk-rock music accompanied by an ethereal …

The Heartless Bastards started out as a power trio from Ohio, playing a very Midwestern kind of rock ’n’ roll. They weren’t groundbreaking, but neither were they overly reverent about their influences. They sometimes got …

“I’ve never entered a contest before. I’ve usually been working too much to pull my head out to do any promotion.” David Rees, 46, is a longtime San Diego musician who lives and works in …

On March 30, Hills Like Elephants will play a release party at the Soda Bar for their debut full-length Endless Charade (Requiemme Records/BMG Chrysalis). “It’s a heart-on-sleeve concept album about girl troubles that plays like …

Recipe by Michael von Euw, Chef de Cuisine, Cavaillon I have always played around with food. It wasn’t so much that I wanted to create new things as much as I wanted to recreate dishes …

The Zinger Masters I suggest that you hire Dewan Gibson (“The Imperfect Blog,” “Blog Diego,” March 15). He writes better than at least one of your staffers. Siobhan Braun, who wrote “The Recruiter Loved Me” …

Today happens to be the birthday of one of my favorite musicians, Indiana-born and -bred jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery. He developed his own unique style — a way of thumbing notes out of his guitar, …

When the boy’s dog didn’t come home from hunting squirrels or rabbits, he rode on a brown mare in the hills above the ranch, singing the name, “Ti-ger! Here boy!” as he looked. His parents …

Birmingham, Alabama, was founded in 1871 – after the Civil War – but quickly caught up with other Southern cities’ cruel segregation and Jim Crow practices. Some say it bested them. Dr. Martin Luther King, …

Yellow school buses will soon do more than transport children to and from San Diego schools. On March 23, in his weekly "Friday Notes" email, San Diego Unified School District Superintendent Bill Kowba announced that …

Point Loma Seafoods reopened its newly refurbished building on March 19. The eatery and seafood market — open since 1963 — had moved to a nearby temporary location while their premises underwent a major remodel. …

“...stay with my family and me for a few days.” I’d just met a friend of a friend, here in California, who heard that I was planning a trip to the 22,000-mile coastline nation of …

Former Encinitas mayor Sheila Cameron spoke before the Encinitas City Council on March 21 to raise attention to a construction site near a residential neighborhood on Urania Avenue (close to Sparta), which she calls a …

Car: None, currently. I drive family members’ cars sometimes. Previous Cars: 1992 Mercury Villager; 1987 Jeep Pioneer Cherokee How’s your commute? I work for a security company, so I drive all over Southern California to …

On October 12, 2011, my husband and I signed two hours’ worth of paperwork and forked over a $2450 earnest-money deposit on a four-bedroom, four-bath townhome in Chula Vista. For years, we’d fantasized about escaping …

In a letter published this month in the Clairemont Times, District 6 councilmember Lorie Zapf warned area residents to use caution when enjoying our canyons. The letter was prompted after a fire was extinguished in …

There are many ways to enter the preserve, but most lack adequate parking and currently none offer toilet facilities, except the Oak Riparian Park in Oceanside, which offers both as well as a chance to …

The invitation read, “black-tie optional.” David opted for black everything — a black silk tie with this black shirt and black suit. “Look, even the dogs are wearing tuxedos,” I said. “Will you hold this …

The website intothewoods.tv has a remarkable video of the band Radiation City performing their song “Babies” in someone’s living room. They’re packed in so tightly that one guy who wants to listen is standing outside, …

Classic rock blasting through the 16,000-watt surround-sound system, psychedelic eye candy filling the 76-foot dome, and Rock 101.5 KGB’s Coe Lewis guiding the cosmic voyage — this was the scene at the premiere of Rock …

By Saturday afternoon it was over. Gonzaga lost to Ohio State and there was not a single West Coast team left in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Before we go on, I should tell you …

The views in the Old Globe’s world premiere musical, A Room with a View, are one of the show’s best features. Heidi Ettinger’s sets re-create Florence, Italy, and Surrey, England, with enlarged postcards from 1908. …

Salmon and sushi this week, also poor sex and De Niro on the skids: Sheikh Muhammed of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen must have seen Lawrence of Arabia and then never forgot the Bedouin chief …

California Strategies, the Sacramento-based lobbying outfit run by Bob White, ex-aide to former San Diego mayor and California governor Pete Wilson, was very busy at San Diego city hall during the final quarter of 2011, …

The word Toronado carries a lot of meaning in West Coast craft-beer circles. For San Franciscans, it’s the name of a bar in the Lower Haight, where the stock has consisted of fine beer for …

For the 16 years, Dicky Demonic has been thrashing it out in North County punk bands with his in-your-face, lefty politics. Demonic has been known to go off on cops, the rich getting richer, and …

It’s about 9:00 at night. Wednesday. I hear a ripple of people clapping. I look in through the door of this café I’ve never noticed before. Place is filled. Can hear the thudded Ps of …

After a year of intermittent recording between hard-drive crashes and rewrites, alt-country five-piece the Western Set released their debut LP, Country Music, on March 3 at the Tin Can Ale House. Vox/guitarist Patrick Conway calls …

The rise and fall and rise again of the power trio as an art form notwithstanding, the first thing I want to know about the Grass Heat is the name. How did it come to …

This will be the last “TGIF” column. It has been a great 12-year run. Well, mostly. Lord knows there were some turkeys in there over the years, but you can’t hit ’em all out of …

San Diego County supervisor Dianne Jacob has been busy trading stock and options in high-flying Apple, Inc., according to her recently filed personal economic interest report. On January 19 of last year, the supervisor unloaded …

“I’ve been wanting to play this music since I learned how to play guitar and was listening to my uncle Jarrod’s punk bands. I was only 13,” says former Atoms/Watusis bassist Branden Parish, whose new …

Ruby likes the color red. On her day in court, she wore a red sweater and her hair was dyed a reddish color. Ruby (not her real name) is hiding from her former lover Robert …

Lawyer and Del Mar mayor Carl Hilliard, now running for third district county supervisor in a crowded field that includes Steve Danon, aide to GOP congressman Brian Bilbray, and Democratic Solana Beach deputy mayor Dave …

The sold-out house at Anthology was treated to the musical feast of John Waite's "Rough and Tumble" tour. The English singer-songwriter’s array of material and showmanship spanned 30 years. Not only did he perform the …

Le Voyage Dans La Lune (A Trip to the Moon) was inspired by the 1902 film of the same name by Georges Méliès. The sound has a haunting, hypnotic effect, much like the soundtrack Air …

Title: onelessinch Address: onelessinch.com Author: smartsypantsy From: La Jolla Blogging since: 2002 Post Title: One Less Inch. Final Draft. Post Date: March 13, 2012 [Chapter] 16. hit by a truck so this one time i …

Every park I see these days is swarming with kids throwing baseballs. My ten-year-old is pushing hard to join a team. But while he’s had years of catch with his dad, he hasn’t done much …

The Best Made Plans Toward the end of World War I, the Germans boasted that their prisoner-of-war camp on the western outskirts of Villingen was tight as a sealed tomb. A ten-foot-tall, barbed-wire fence surrounded …

When married-duo Harry and Nancy Mestyanek launched Folding Mr. Lincoln in 2006, the plan was a gentle country-roots ensemble. “Though we continue to evolve as a band and to develop musically,” says Harry, “I feel …

Membership: 300 Pastor: Darrow Perkins Age: 46 Born: Baton Rouge, La Formation: Andersonville Theological Seminary, Camilla, Ga.; U.S. Marine Corps (1983–2003) Years Ordained: 19 San Diego Reader: What is your favorite subject on which to …

Cover Kudos Reading your March 15 Reader. Excellent article by Siobhan Braun on the cover, “The Recruiter Loved Me.” Franco AlbueroLa Jolla Elitist Bumper Stickers Re “The Recruiter Loved Me” (Cover Story, March 15). In …

It shows up one summer in a greatcoat, storms through the house confiscating, says it must be paid and quickly, says it must take everything. Your children stare into their cornflakes, your wife whispers only …

This weekend's turkey hunt at Santa Ysabel Preserve will go off without, or rather, with a bang, despite pleas from the Animal Protection and Rescue League to suspend the hunt. According to a report from …

Southwestern College’s long-awaited forensic investigation was released last week. The report focused on the awarding of Proposition R contracts and the activities of the Southwestern College Foundation. The report is remarkable in what it does …

The Rock Church of Liberty Station celebrated the opening of its North County location on Sunday, March 18. From its temporary sanctuary in Carlsbad, the popular mega-church moved to a permanent location in San Marcos. …

At 1.5 million acres, Everglades National Park is the third-largest national park in the U.S. It is, nevertheless, half the size it was a century ago. Once you’re away from the visitors and crowds, the …

The tragic events of 1945 can barely be appreciated without seeing the peaceful, dignified city of Hiroshima, Japan. Within minutes of stepping off the bullet train, a local resident offered us a free tour of …

A man in jail awaiting sentencing for a murder stabbed another inmate and was sentenced on March 15 to 12 more years for the new offense. Joaquin Martinez, a.k.a. “Jaws,” now 34, admitted causing great …

A positive work ethic includes how one feels about one’s job, career or vocation. It also is reflective of one’s attitude toward responsibility and self-respect. This attitude involves behavior, respect, communication, interaction, integrity, and how …

Lieutenant Commander Jon Bartel explains what it takes to work for the Coast Guard. First, tell me how and when you got involved with the Coast Guard. It’s kind of funny because I grew up …

Early morning TV news viewers may have noticed that KFMB/CBS 8's morning crew was not on the air on Friday, March 16. Normally starting at 4:30 a.m., news anchors Dan Cohen and Nichelle Medina were …

Southwestern College had a packed board agenda and packed house on March 14. The meeting, which lasted beyond midnight, suggested that all is not well in Camelot. The most contentious item on the agenda was …

There's no place like Rainbow. This low mountain ecotone combines riparian woodland with coastal sage scrub, creating an expansive earth tone canvas splashed with Live Oak, Palms, citrus, and multi-colored flowering plants. The canyons act …

Most jurors deliberating the sanity of a murder defendant are voting that he did understand right from wrong at the time of the shooting, according to statements made in court on March 15 by Daniel …

O glorious Jesu, O meekest Jesu, O most sweetest Jesu, I pray that I may have true confession, contrition and satisfaction or I die. And that I may see and receive thy holy body, God …

Martin Lesky of Los Angeles lost his well-paying job at mortgage broker last year and owed the Internal Revenue Service thousands of dollars as well. One year later he had paid his debt and secured …

The latest buzz on the street is that the job market is about to open up. Businesses seem more optimistic about potential growth than at any point during the past four years, and the San …

Incumbent Republican congressman Brian Bilbray, port commissioner Scott Peters, and former state assemblywoman Lori Saldaña, the three front-runners in the newly redrawn 52nd Congressional district, took part in a KPBS debate on March 14. Moderated …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

“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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

“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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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, …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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, …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

A 40-year-old man who has been hiding in Mexico for ten years was arraigned in the Vista courthouse on March 12. Fernando Herrera Salas, charged with murder, was implicated in the death of a man …

I was prudent in the selection of my seat. My back was to the window, ensuring I wouldn’t get too warm and could face the room; near the head of the table, at the end …

In accordance with a joint-use agreement signed by the San Diego Unified School District and the City of San Diego seven years ago, on March 9, the playgrounds and playing fields at Normal Heights Elementary …

Name: Leorah Gavidor Neighborhood: Golden Hill Age: 31 Occupation: Retail/editor Actually, it’s not really my milkshake, and, technically, it’s not even a milkshake at all — it’s a basic solution of sugar and water, boiled …

In 2010, the Lincoln Club endorsed Larry Breitfelder, Republican and founder of the Chula Vista Taxpayers Association, for a council seat. Breitfelder is running again in November against Democrat Pamela Bensoussan, but it appears the …

After being closed since late December, the Ocean Beach library celebrated its grand reopening on March 10, sporting a new roof along with fresh carpet and interior paint. The 83-year-old library, situated in a city …

Most every day I like to drive down El Monte Rd in Lakeside, It reminds me of how it used to be in the old days: wide open fields, some farmed acreage, and the wildlife …

Unless there is a monkey wrench thrown into the works, a joint-use agreement between the city's Park and Recreation Department and the San Diego Unified School District will allow for public access to the upper …

There is a 19th-century Protestant church at the south end of Bombay’s Colaba Causeway. It has a disproportionately tall steeple, and before the skyline of Nariman Point was developed, it was the most prominent landmark …

In February 2011, Christchurch captured world headlines when New Zealand’s second-largest city was jolted by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake, flattening downtown buildings and claiming 181 human lives in its debris-laden wake. Though parts of downtown …

Single mom Larissa Danielli of Ocean Beach wants to set the record straight about the outcome of her case. As reported in these pages last November, Danielli, a single mother, was arrested and lost custody …

Imperial Beach firefighters were called to a home in the 1200 block of 7th Street shortly before 8:00 a.m. on March 8. Firefighters had to stretch their hoses 1500 feet to reach the nearest hydrant. …

You might not expect a Hare Krishna temple in the hills of West Virginia, but the New Vrindaban community has been an active spiritual retreat since 1968. I recently took a road trip with my …

Car: 2006 Toyota Corolla S Previous Cars: 1998 Toyota Corolla How’s your commute? Not bad. I only have graduate school at SDSU in the evenings, and I drive from Santee down Mission Gorge, about eight …

When my cell phone rang at 9:17 p.m., it was Officer Rohatan calling to tell me that he and a few colleagues were planning a surprise visit to our street. "Tomorrow night, between 7:00 and …

The first North Park Little League team meeting of the new season had ended at Morley Field, and we were starving. “Mom! Tonight’s the fundraiser for my school at Paesano’s. Can we go there?” I …

‘Where have you been?” asks Carla when I get back. Okay, it’s a little late, and, uh, I failed to mention I was going down to TJ. Last-minute decision. I’d kinda given up on trying …

“‘Rock ’n’ Roll” Peg Pollard got into radio to marry Bob Seger. She was in the sixth grade, she heard Live Bullet, and Pollard fell in love with the Detroit rocker. “I decided my route …

Being a hockey fan in San Diego is like being a cow tipper in Delhi, which is to say, lonely. Sure, despite their Cool Runnings disadvantage (watch the movie), the Gulls were an impressive flock …

I ask Joe Louis Walker if Hellfire, the title of his debut release on Alligator Records, is short for “hellfire and brimstone.” He says it could be. After all, he does have a background in …

Hey, Matt: I really enjoy learning about “real” history versus what has been popularly pasteurized. As a (laid-off) 3rd generation aerospace worker I’m of course aware of the accusations of a faked moon landing. While …

“I came here to help out at the request of the owners,” says Joe Rinaldi, the Griffin’s new talent buyer. He speaks of creating an image for the venue that was once O’Connells, an Irish-themed …

Itai, Erica, and Neil are no longer the Mashtis. The band has apparently called it quits after a notable three-year run. The seven-inch “A Canopy of Sundays” and the complimentary digital EP included for free …

Patrick’s a little jealous of my new exercise regimen. I told him we should work out together, but he doesn’t want to belly dance. So we looked into boxing. “We offer Western boxing,” said Dustin, …

San Diego Democratic assemblywoman Toni Atkins amended her year-end campaign filing last week to include a previously omitted in-kind contribution: $2650 on July 16 for use of the Petco Park skybox belonging to the Sycuan …

Next time you see a Ken Burns documentary, think of Lou Stoumen. It was Stoumen who invented a track that allowed a camera to slowly pan up and down while zooming in and out of …

Jefferson Jay says the open-mic scene that launched Jewel and Jason Mraz is not as vital as it once was. Jay, who started hosting acoustic showcases in 2003, thinks, however, that there is still enough …

In the mid-’70s, Peter Case and Paul Collins played together in a San Francisco band called the Nerves. Appropriately enough, they played melodic, guitar-based rock ’n’ roll with a nervous intensity. Before long, the style …

Rose Canyon is one of the many local canyons set aside for walking, jogging, and bike riding. Views of the canyon from the bridge show its diversity, with four different habitats easily distinguished: chaparral, coastal …

Title: The Imperfect Blog Address: imperfectenjoyment.com Author: Dewan Gibson From: Otay Ranch Blogging since: February 2012 Post Title: Denzel Washington Taught Me How to Fight Post Date: February 14, 2012 There was a time when …

’Tis a pity he’s a bore. That idea might creep up as you view the creepy Shakespearean “hero” of Coriolanus. Ralph Fiennes directed and stars as Rome’s General Caius Martius Coriolanus. A killing machine who …

It felt scandalous, my going to an Oscars party when I’d only seen one of the films nominated for Best Picture. It was a fluke I even saw the one — David and I had …

To recap: the NFL released the following statement Friday afternoon, a traditional dump day for embarrassing news. “A lengthy investigation by the NFL’s security department has disclosed that between 22 and 27 defensive players on …

The latest breed of hybrid has arrived from Finland in the form of an electric luxury vehicle. The Marvin K. Brown dealership in Mission Valley has an inventory of a dozen Fisker Karmas. A showroom …

It’s time again for cooking with Susan Davis, that semi-regular event for which the Democratic congresswoman from San Diego flings open the doors to her D.C. home and whips up custom omelets for a cadre …

In the fall of 2010, Raul Carranza arrived on the campus of the University of California Los Angeles by way of Eastlake High School and Southwestern College, pursuing a psychology degree. By the following January, …

Who was the highest-paid employee at the University of California San Diego in 2010? Not chancellor Marye Anne Fox, at a mere $387,886. Nor Edward Babakanian, chief information officer for the university’s health sciences division, …

Trust Me, I’m A Jock When I saw your front cover with the jock sitting in front of gym lockers with his eyes closed, it reminded me of all the dumb jocks of yesteryear (“Grappling …

Charles Lloyd, American, not only the most lyrical but frankly the most conversational of jazz saxophonists, is a musical orator and curator of quiet fire. Maria Farantouri, well on her way to legend in her …

Following a loose, impressive opening set from Unknown Mortal Orchestra, San Francisco's Girls plugged in at the sold-out Birch North Park Theatre, a venue that has operated as everything from movie theater to playhouse to …

Only until this cigarette is ended, A little moment at the end of all, While on the floor the quiet ashes fall, And in the firelight to a lance extended, Bizarrely with the jazzing music …

Capture “I rather expected to be wounded or killed or even drowned,” writes Navy lieutenant Edouard Izac. “It was only natural that…the [USS President] Lincoln would finally be torpedoed….But never once had the thought of …

Membership: 500 Pastor: Dwayne Edwards Age: 57 Born: Montgomery, Ala. Formation: Southern Nazarene University, Oklahoma City, Okla.; Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego Years Ordained: 25 San Diego Reader: What is your favorite subject on …

A former physical education teacher for Oceanside High School admitted to a probation violation on March 6 at the Vista courthouse. Corey Lane Hogue, now 39, pleaded guilty in 2010 to having unlawful sexual contact …

“We’re the fun Asians.” After soaking in the aforementioned statement from a Filipino friend and almost three years of living and working with a multitude of friendly Filipinos here in San Diego, I had to …

Balboa Park was awash with thousands of runners on the morning of Saturday, March 3. They were taking part in the second annual 5K run organized by the Chelsea's Light Foundation, which raises money to …

Southwestern College and Sweetwater Union High School districts have been engulfed by bond-construction scandals and district attorney investigations. Many anticipate a fresh round of indictments in the near future. Southwestern superintendent Melinda Nish and trustees …

I was two years old and living in the U.K. when the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded, on April 26, 1986. Naturally, I have no memory of the event, but my mother assures me that …

Northeast of Washington, D.C., lays a “town within a forest.” Washington Grove is a shady hamlet tucked beneath an age-old stand of forest. It’s a town built purposefully around trees, one of the early intentionally …

Visitors of Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve are being greeted by a burrowing owl — the first one to be seen in the reserve for decades. For the past month or so, at the base …

On March 1, students and faculty members at three local college campuses took part in the National Day of Action for Education. Walk-outs were staged at City College, SDSU, and UCSD. Student rallies decried higher …

Of many mouths and eyes, Of many wondrous aspects, Of many marvelous ornaments, Of marvelous and many uplifted weapons; Wearing marvelous garlands and garments, With marvelous perfumes and ointments, Made up of all wonders, the …

Austin, Texas: Most of us know it as the self-proclaimed “Live Music Capital of the World,” home to SXSW, and a place that gets really, really hot in the summer. But for an active, social …

"Our idyllic life, the peace, the quiet and the serenity that we love about Carlsbad has all of a sudden turned into a shooting gallery," said resident Steven Johnson as he spoke during the public …