Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed
Big Screen — Movie commentary
Blurt — Music's inside track
Booze News — San Diego spirits
Classical Music — Immortal beauty
Classifieds — Free and easy
Cover Stories — Front-page features
Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes
Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts
Feast! — Food & drink reviews
Feature Stories — Local news & stories
Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore
From the Archives — Spotlight on the past
Golden Dreams — Talk of the town
The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it
Letters — Our inbox
Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites
Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans
Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists
Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news
News Ticker — News & politics
Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated
Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna
Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated
Poetry — The old and the new
Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers
Reading — The hunt for intellectuals
Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails
San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds
SD on the QT — Almost factual news
Sheep and Goats — Places of worship
Special Issues — The best of
Street Style — San Diego streets have style
Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves
Theater — On stage in San Diego this week
Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative
Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work
Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego
Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads
Your Week — Daily event picks
Some things to check on Chargers' stadium plan
Before you vote in November, I’d ask you to drive by Qualcomm Stadium one day this summer and try to imagine that huge, empty, silent fortress plopped down in the middle of your neighborhood. Because that’s what the Chargers are asking you to fund — acres of walled-off dead space in the middle of my neighborhood. I’m not talking about game day — I’m talking about the other 300+ days of the year when there are no fans, no income for the neighborhood, no excitement, nothing. Contrast that with the plans being generated by the innovative (and volunteer) group of architects, urban planners, designers, and residents of the East Village South Community Vision Group. Envision high-paying high-tech jobs, a respected university, family-friendly sidewalk cafes, preservation of key historic buildings, dog parks, a soccer field, a farmers’ market, attractive lighting, street signs in multiple languages, and, most important, lots of pedestrians strolling through a series of tree-lined boulevards and a necklace of pocket parks all the way from the Convention Center or Horton Plaza or City College to Barrio Logan or across a park covering Interstate 5 into Sherman Heights. Also imagine the Convention Center widened right over Harbor Drive, the railroad tracks, and the trolley tracks, so that you could stroll right across those barriers without waiting for a traffic light, and have easy egress from the bay to the Gaslamp and ball park neighborhoods. Before you cast your vote about this precious, undeveloped acreage (the only large, undeveloped area left Downtown, please ask yourself which alternative would provide more higher-paying jobs, more tax income for the city, more housing, more recreation and value to the city of San Diego? For more information, visit East Village South Community Vision on Facebook. Valerie Hansen, East Village— April 5, 2016 2:41 p.m.
It’s not like I’m there to make money
What's with the totally inappropriate secondary title on this piece? (Jazz Followers Are The Snobs Of The City) I know Robert Bush would never write that. Was it supposed to be some kind of joke? Because we "jazz followers" are not laughing. Thankfully the title didn't make it into the print edition. Barbara Wise, Rolando— March 6, 2016 10:50 a.m.
It’s not like I’m there to make money
“Jazz followers are the snobs of the city”? That's a misguided subtitle to a great article. Let me start with a cliché: Webster’s defines “snob” as “one who tends to rebuff, avoid, or ignore those regarded as inferior; one who has an offensive air of superiority in matters of knowledge or taste”. The real cliché is the subtitle of this article. As a resident of this city for just seven years and someone who was not a big jazz fan before that, I say that the three people interviewed in this excellent Robert Bush piece are examples of just the opposite. My son took up the drums at an early age. In middle school he began playing with the jazz band and accompanying the jazz choir. When we moved here he entered his freshman year of high school and started taking lessons with Mike Holguin and Duncan Moore. A cynic would say that, well, these guys were paid to be welcoming and friendly. If so, then we got a huge return on the investment. They changed my son’s life. Then my son heard about a jazz jam that was being held at El Camino in Little Italy on Wednesday nights. We made the trek and he overcame his fears to speak to the band about sitting in with them. He was called up a short time later. The band members - Rob Thorsen, Irving Flores and Gilbert Castellanos - asked what song he wanted to play. I don’t remember what he called. It was probably awkward, dragging, rushing, simplistic - I don’t remember. What I do remember was the band and the audience congratulating him afterwards, telling him to keep it up, and helping to fulfill a young man’s dreams. El Camino. Seven Grand. Panama 66. Bourré. The Rook. 98 Bottles. The same kind of welcoming atmosphere exists at these and many other places around this city. I could tell many stories like this about so many more musicians and “jazz followers”. How they welcomed my son to San Diego and the jazz community. How they welcomed me, a rock and singer-songwriter fan and nonmusician, into that community. How the support for youngsters, the admiration for oldsters, and the welcoming of strangers makes a strong case for that community being just the opposite of “snobs”. So along comes an awesome article with an unfortunate clickbait subtitle (not Bush's fault, right?) that is disconnected with reality. Reality: Bonnie Wright says, “… I want to bring music to San Diego that we wouldn’t hear otherwise, so now I only present musicians from out of town or out of the country. My mission is to avoid mainstream music. I mean, I even like a lot of it, but that stuff is already known. I want to help make the lesser known familiar”. Not follow the trends. Not do what is popular. Not hoard it for herself. Make it known. Make it accessible. Snob? Hardly. Reality: Dan Atkinson says of the Jazz Camp at UCSD: ““People have told me that the program changed their life … that’s a good feeling.” I know what he speaks of firsthand. My son attended the Jazz Camp and was able to study with people like Charles McPherson, Holly Hofmann, Willie Jones III, Mark Dresser, and so many others. His first jazz camp came shortly after I lost my job. We couldn’t afford it. Dan Atkinson made it happen anyway. And Gilbert Castellanos? Trumpet master, bandleader, arranger, the face of San Diego jazz, teacher, example, and so many other words describe Gilbert. One thing that we are all lucky to call him is “friend”. And I don’t mean “Facebook friend.” My son will be embarrassed about this missive. Those eyerolls you are sensing? Him. He is now twenty-one and well into his career as a jazz drummer and doesn’t need Dad telling stories about him. But this is my story. If you welcome my kids, you welcome me. Thank you, San Diego Jazz, for welcoming me. And thank you for politely looking the other way when my foot-tapping drifts back to the one and the three. John Shaw, Rancho Bernardo— March 3, 2016 3:13 p.m.
Otay before 50,000 homes
Thank you so much for this article about my uncle, Mark Robson. I am almost 60 years old & my mother was Mark's eldest sister, Coramae Robson. I have been living in Arizona for the past 20 years & I somehow missed this article. My whole life revolves around my grandmother's house. When our house burned down, 128 Orange Drive was our only refuge. The memories that you have reignited in my life are priceless. The Hill may have seemed depressed to the outlaying areas but to us it will always represent home. Our family life lessons were formed there. Everything I know about God, love, compassion, caring, & respect was ingrained into all of us Blessed enough to live on the Hill. Not just from our grandmothers and parents, but from every neighbor. Everyone looked out for each other's children & made the Hill a home for each resident living there. I am blessed to be a product of the Hill. Please do a follow up piece on this article soon! It will be well received. Vicky Hutt— February 19, 2016 10:09 a.m.
Pt. Loma-Miramar pipeline outdated?
The Navy has installed a state of the art new Fuel Storage Facility and are preparing a new Fuel Pier to be installed after demolition of 1950s old pier, yet they intend to apply a BAND AID FIX and CHERRY PICK areas of the subject pipeline to repair. This vintage Fuel Pipeline is the glue that holds the entire Fuel Facility together. The Navy also proposes to relocate portions of the Vintage (60 yrs.) Fuel Pipeline along the Rosecrans traffic corridor in Point Loma, (the backbone of the Peninsula traffic flow) This does not make economic or operational sense; causing gridlock and catastrophic risks as well as possible structural failures to other Vintage Service Piping, substandard, deteriorating Roads, outdated traffic signals, signs designed decades ago for fewer vehicles, (cars, construction trucks, etc.) All against a background of constructing in earthquake country. Additionally, the following existing conditions on the Point Loma Peninsula only highlights that this is a bad idea! The construction will restrict flow & merging of already congested business traffic, University/School & Church access, heavy Military use to & from State Highways, residential/public access to Lindbergh International Airport & Downtown San Diego. Restrict Emergency egress from all points off the Peninsula to Trauma Hospitals, since we are surrounded by water on three sides and do not have a Hospital on the Peninsula. (Navy does not have Emergency Plan in place for proposed Fuel Pipeline construction) Because of the above the Navy, The Mayor and City Council must realize that the risk of catastrophes, emergencies, are likely to be more critical and massive from the Peninsula Community than neighboring Communities because: 1) Access to the San Diego International Airport, jammed into 660 acres. 2) The Navy's storage & Refueling Facility for entire West Coast. 3) Liberty Station, stores, churches, public & private schools, approximately 1 2,000 students in thirteen public/private schools, approximately 2,000 University Students/staff, Pt. Loma Nazarene) 4) Major Sewage Treatment plant utilized by 15 Neighboring Communities. 5) Pt. Loma serves as Business Base for over 1,700 Military jobs. (SubBase, SPAWAR, Hazardous sites. etc. 6) Pt. Loma Beach areas alone serve & bring in millions of tourists daily to Cabrillo Monument, Rosecrans Military Cemetery. Every day drivers on Rosecrans corridor experience massive a.m. & p.m. gridlock backups on the following intersections: Nimitz, Canon, Talbot, Sports Arena, Midway, Barnet, with overflows to Service Roads, Catalina & Chatsworth. Not to mention the recent development of Condo's on Scott Street and the proposed construction of Condo's in the 1100 block of Rosecrans. Think about the effect of a six month Pipeline Construction schedule on Rosecrans, the backbone of traffic. Total Gridlock. *Jim Gilhooly, Point Loma*— October 23, 2014 5:27 p.m.
Few visit women at Las Colinas jail
What a great article. Really enjoyed it. I am currently going through my wife of 16 years being incarcerated. She is currently at Las Colinas. We do see some visitors. What's bad about LC is, even the lowest security level has to do video visitation. It's horrible. You see your loved one on a very small monitor. It's horrific for our kids. I am trying to get my Wife's voice heard. We have started a blog from her letters she sends once a week. These letters are very powerful. Sad, but powerful. Shows, strength, sadness, hopelessness, depression. Please take the time just to hear her voice. Thank you! http://orangethenewblog.blogspot.com/ Steve Brase— October 12, 2014 11:44 a.m.
Ten years
(wolf whistle) leather corset, spilling up and out. ample bosom. Barbarella is getting better than Sudoku!— September 16, 2014 9:39 p.m.
Girls in boots and hard hats
The EWMC San Diego & Imperial Counties is sponsoring an Apprenticeship Program Career Day at Malcolm X Library on July 26th 2014 between 10 am and 2 pm. There will be 23 different paid apprenticeship programs present. As a follow up on this story maybe you could come down and find out what apprenticeship programs have to offer. Almost all offer free college credit for their programs. As the sponsor of the event I invite you and anyone you would like to attend to come find out for yourself what is offered and who is offering it. It is free and open to the general public. Steven Steppe, via email— July 23, 2014 9:22 a.m.
Mystery assault in front of Fry's Electronics
For more commentary to this article, see Letters to the Editor: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2014/jul/08/re… http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2014/jul/16/le…— July 17, 2014 10:35 a.m.
Defining faith
Mr. Stirling is well-qualifed to answer Mr. Demsky (in his letter of May 22), but since I have written on this matter I consider Demsky’s arrogant word-juggling to be pathetic. Mr. Demsky’s hero, Franklin Delano Roosevelt is without a doubt one of the biggest liars and double-crossers in American presidential history. His dirty double-crossing of Henry Wallace showed that Roosevelt had to send Wallace to China so that the nomination for vice president in 1944 could be done behind Wallace’s back. As for Lindbergh being a bigamist, Roosevelt leaves Lindbergh in the dust in his betrayal of Eleanor. Let’s recall Roosevelt’s open remark that Henry Morganthau “was trying to Jew me” (meaning Roosevelt.) Mr. Demsky’s conception of greatness is as hobbled as his low and absurd denegration of Lindbergh. While Roosevelt did not connive at Pearl Harbor, neither did he and General Marshall show any brains in handling the almost-too-obvious intentions of Japan. There is still much to be discovered about Pearl Harbor and Mr. Demsky’s invincible ignorance does not help. As for Mr. Demsky’s reference to academic historians, it is obvious to everyone except Mr. Demsky that the present historical profession in the United States is dominated by the intellectually and morally crippled partisans of political correctness and allied ideologies. via voicemail— July 13, 2014 3:37 p.m.