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Violence up in Baja – especially for journalists
I used to spend quite a lot of time in Mexico. In the late 90's, Tijuana seemed to be turning the corner. We could pop over for a long lunch, and the border wait coming back was often less than half an hour. I returned there this year, on several different occassions, and I can say the place and the mood is really changed. Boarded up storefronts, a sort of closed calculating look on the residents' faces, army check points, and soldiers with automatic rifles and flak vests patrolling the streets... I was offered interesting work this summer with a maquiladora in Tijuana, and it was very tempting. But I reluctantly turned it down. Never before in my life have I been concerned about kidnapping. It's something that happens to wealthy executives or people involved in the drug trade...not friendly computer geeks who speak passable Spanish. But today there seems to be a level of desperation and ruthlessness in Tijuana that is difficult to ignore. I do stand out in a crowd, best as I try to stay low. Were I captured, they'd find out quickly I don't have significant amount of money. I expect they'd just dump my corpse and move along to the next victim. Bye, bye, Fred. I am a coward after all, and the disappointment of the people I was to work with this summer was really sad. I am deeply sorry for the average Mexican who has to endure this low-level warfare day in and day out. They do not deserve what is happening all around them. They know the root cause though, and who to blame for encouraging this to happen. Our own pointless "War on Drugs" is what fuels this carnage next door. The narcotrafficantes are here because America's desire to use recreational drugs remains a constant attraction for those who will supply them. So long as we continue to use paramilitary methods to fight this commerce, they'll use paramilitary methods to fight us and each other. The war on drugs in Mexico is being waged in our name. This long list of murders is only a small portion of the blood we shed, directly and indirectly, because our national leadership is composed of hypocrits. For 16 years now the man in the White House, Democrat and Republican alike, has been an admitted illegal drug user. Instead of admitting that recreational drugs are not the root of all evil and can be used in moderation without destroying your life, these two men continued the lies of their predecessors. The result today is a multi-billion dollar drain on our treasury, and the slaughter of countless neighbors, whether guilty or innocent. Don't blame Mexico. The fault is our own.— August 8, 2008 8:46 a.m.
Mission Hills Nation's 5th Most Overpriced Neighborhood, Says Forbes.com
Don, you've got a bonanza awaiting you. Go online and buy up all those penny copies of your book, cornering the market. Then you destroy the books in poor condition, reducing the available supply. The ones left over, you inscribe with you signature. (You can hire some intern to do all the actual writing.) Then you go on ebay and auction off your stack of "one of a kind" signed first editions to collectors. It ought to be enough to buy a brand new Winnebago for the missus, complete with a kick-ass stereo for listening to your favorite music. Equipped with a wifi antenna and your mobile phone, you're ready to roll around the country and still write your columns. Ah, the magic of the internets.— August 8, 2008 8:17 a.m.
Friends Don't Let Friends....Do Stupid Things
Antigeekess, I blame Hunter S. Thompson. Yep, ole Gonzo himself inspired all those Geritol-guzzling geezers to wrap their bald heads in bandani and roar off on overpowered crotch rockets. If Hunter S. hadn't written his fascinating book about the Hell's Angels, they'd have been disbanded and forgotten ages ago...an embarrassing after effect of WWII, where discharged soldiers addicted to speed and morphine formed clubs for manufacturing and distributing their drug of choice state-side. Instead, the outlaw 50's and 60's Harley riding culture has morphed into today's outing for geriatric ward grannies, their palsied hands clutching clutches while shrivelled hearts fibulate to the point of infarction. Wild at heart? Indeed. You poor thing. You must be still traumatized. Gone to commune with nature, walk naked in the forest, and dance in the dewey ferns...all you needed was a bit of rest. Then you were rudely startled out of a restful slumber only to encounter the squashed carcass of a fawn in the road, half a plum grotesquely dribbling out of it's cold mouth...it's enough to turn me vegetarian. No, non-geek girl, there's no rest for the weary, solace for the soul, or restful reflection in the majestic Older-than-Jesus redwoods anymore. If you want peace and quiet nowadays, you ought to try Avenida Revolution in Tijuana. So far as I know, Hunter S. Thompson never wrote a book about Mexico. Though he should have...— August 8, 2008 8:03 a.m.
Recession Hitting San Diego's Superrich; Some Socialites Wearing the Same Gown Twice; Jewel Ball Doesn't Sell Out
Thorstein Veblen's Theory of the Leisure Class talks about invidious distinction being the motivator of conspicuous consumption. I've wondered, however, if some of the super-rich aren't wise to the risk of appearing to be "too rich", and consequently disquise themselves to walk among the lowly hoi poloi. As I recall reading somewhere, the ones who actually make the money are just as likely to still be driving an older model car and living in a modest house. It's their offspring that feel compelled to flash around in their status symbols. In the past, this would accomplish (gradually) the famous regression to the mean, so the grandkids of the rich would end up just middle-class. But a few decades back, some smart lawyers started devising means for avoiding the avarice of offspring and ensuring the maintenance of any private wealth pool for ages to come. I wonder if the collapse of hedge funds and other exotic investment instruments won't prove to be their undoing, surprising the indolent ancestors of the industrious when one day the phone rings and they're told it's suddenly all gone.— August 8, 2008 7:32 a.m.
Wealthy Local Citizens Discuss Buying U-T, Combining It with KUSI-TV, Possibly Having 24-Hour News Program
Burwell, where did you hear that Craigslist got any money from Google, much less $2 Billion? So far as I know, the situation is the same as when this article was written: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.09/craigsli… I searched for a Craigs List - Google matchup, but all I've come up with is Google maps being incorporated into the rental ads, which I'm pretty sure was a good will thing rather than for money... Burwell, please correct me if I'm wrong and you've got a source for this rumor. Otherwise, I think your information is mistaken. Best, Fred— August 8, 2008 7:24 a.m.
Hats Off to Mimi
Josh, I recently was blessed with a friendly, face to face, hands on visit from your new friend Chuck. Some cop buddies that he knows through his steroid connection tracked me down. He let me know his opinion of my continued participation with this online forum in a very forthright and vigorous manner. Anyway, to make a long and grueling story short, let me just say that I'm deeply sorry and apologize without mental reservation over my innaccurate, unfounded, and completely without merit writings and comments over the preceding months that have in any way or manner offended either you, the good citizens of San Diego, legal authorities, or your cage-fighting, rubber-hose weilding fans. After due consideration and hours of agonizing introspection while hanging slung with my arms behind my back, I have come to the clear and and very reasonable realization that in all possible ways, Josh Board is a superior and infallible human being, with many attributes similar to the classical deities (all of which, by the way, are real, I swear to Gods). Therefore, I humbly subjegate myself, after my hospital recovery, to the ongoing recognition that any additional snarky comments on my behalf towards the aforementioned Josh Board, deity, lord, omniscient giver of knowledge, by the grace of the Gods, shall be met with yet another bloody pummelling by violent large men well trained in martial arts. Thank you again for your visit, Chuck. Fred Williams P.s. Flowers and get well cards may be sent to Patient #420, Ward B, Building Annex 6, Intensive Care Unit— August 7, 2008 11:22 a.m.
Mission Hills Nation's 5th Most Overpriced Neighborhood, Says Forbes.com
The best history of San Diego I have read recently is by James R. Mills. Before he was a California legislator (he's known for the Mills Act and for creating the Port District) he wrote "San Diego: Where San Diego Began". It's well worth a few hours to read it online. One of the fascinating things I learned was the size of the indigenous population and its clustering along the San Diego river. http://www.sandiegohistory.org/books/wcb/wcb.htm Another San Diego history I found interesting two decades ago was by Neil Morgan and Harry Wegeforth, about the founding of the San Diego Zoo. I just found sale online and they want a fortune! http://www.antiqbook.co.uk/boox/mwb/86994.shtml (If only I had stolen my copy from the library when I had the chance...sigh.) And Don, I have to admit that I've not yet read Captain Money and the Golden Girl. Have you considered putting it online? Best, Fred (P.s. Re: #21...history has been a lifelong interest...but every week I scan the ads for "Historian Wanted" to no avail)— August 7, 2008 10:56 a.m.
San Diego Is Chargers' Problem
baseballfansandiego, you beat me to it. Again, my apologies. Administrators, feel free to remove the erroneous and embarrassing post while leaving up my humble retraction. Best, Fred— August 7, 2008 10:32 a.m.
San Diego Is Chargers' Problem
=RETRACTION= I jumped the gun. I did a bit more research and found that according to this article: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080711… This is NOT the same Mike McSweeney who was fired from Sander's campaign. I deeply apologize for my mistake and ask that the administrator remove my previous comment. Fred Williams— August 7, 2008 10:29 a.m.
Bird's-Eye Lowdown On Downtown
Here's another article worth a second look. James R. Mills tells it like it is. The history of the Port District, inside information about Steve Peace and other major players. Please, San Diegans, let's remember our local history. Mills, in addition to being a noted California legislator of the old school, is a historian. I highly recommend his "San Diego -- Where California Began". It's complete text is available online here: http://www.sandiegohistory.org/books/wcb/wcb.htm Best, Fred Williams— August 7, 2008 10:12 a.m.