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Cheesesteaks are still better than the Eagles
Yeah, I know that I frequently get sticker shock at sandwich prices in many take-out operations. (If they had tables and service, that would be different.)— December 3, 2017 9:45 a.m.
Junior Theatre reformer sues city
If anyone were expecting a better and more open and honest city attorney when Goldy termed out, forget that. This one now seems cut of the same cloth. She's been telling the city council and mayor to stay away from some of their proposals designed to fix city problems, and that is good. But how she can allow two of her deputies to sit on that board when it has recently experienced so much wrongdoing is mind-boggling. Now that Elliott and Stephan are so neatly intertwined, there's no reason to think the DA will take up the matter. That leaves the AG, and who knows about him?— December 3, 2017 9:41 a.m.
Qualcomm's takeover-thwarting strategy
The strategy is most interesting, and might actually work. But it sounds as if it will cost Qualcomm far more than it planned to expend in bringing NXP into the fold. Since this approach is already widely known, the NXP shareholders can afford to hold out for more; Qualcomm needs their shares more than they need to cash out quickly. There are features here that are reminiscent of some of the "poison pill" provisions that corporations were adopting in the 80's and into the 90's when acquisitions were all the rage. The management portrayed then as protecting the stockholders when the actually did far more to protect top management. As I and others have mentioned, Qualcomm would get more sympathy locally if it had been a better corporate citizen.— December 3, 2017 9:35 a.m.
Scripps plagued by vehicular vandalism
UCSD has been short on parking for almost as long as it has existed. Supposedly it encourages ride-sharing and use of public transportation. But, typical of nearly every workplace in San Diego, few employees use either. The better paid they are, the less likely they are to use anything other than a car, and drive solo. So, the area right around the campus is, and has been for a very long time, filled with cars parked on the streets. These incidents are a reflection of the overcrowded and curvy streets in the area, and unfortunates who choose to park along them. It really takes the bloom off of the idea of working for that ultra-prestigious UC campus. Having had some experience with UCSD parking about twenty years ago, I noted that the operation wasn't trying to accommodate its employees or students in a positive way. It had a Gestapo-like parking enforcement patrol that would pounce on any improperly parked car within about five minutes. Forget to display your dashboard parking permit placard, and bang, you had a citation. The odd thing was that parking spaces there were at a premium in the morning, but by early afternoon the lots cleared out. (Wonder why? I really do.) So, if you were a later-in-the-day student, a parking permit that allowed almost unlimited access to lots wasn't all that costly. The full-day permit was outrageously expensive. I shudder to think what such a permit costs now. But for those who toil at Scripps and have to be there early in the day, the choice is to pay, pay, pay, or to avoid. And avoiding the cost of a campus permit, which might not be all that close to the destination, has its nasty downside. I sympathize.— December 2, 2017 8:39 p.m.
Tough to sell craft beer in Carlsbad
Th failure rate for small, startup businesses is very high, so high that it's a wonder anyone tries. So, this one isn't anything out of the ordinary. Then there is the number of these little breweries, many tucked away in hard-to-find-spots. The Vista Industrial Park has many of them, and even with directions can be a challenge to find. Just how big is the market for craft beer and for the products of micro-breweries? I had no idea that the spot described had any breweries at all. So much of this is location, and if there's poor access and no visibility, it makes the chances of success very poor. A comment above referred to a lack of capital, and if that's the situation, it challenges even more.— December 2, 2017 10:48 a.m.
Memes of mercy for two SD men jailed in Thailand
Whenever I'm outside the US, even to Canada, I take care to be respectful, and keep my comments to myself. (Thinking something is one thing, speaking it or acting on it is another.) It is important to remember that the country you are visiting belongs to other people who may have some beliefs or mores that are strange to you. That's something these guys forgot and apparently forget frequently on their travels. If you want to do something like that in a foreign country don't double down on dumb and post it for the world to see while you are still in that country. At least wait until you are home! I'm not particularly supportive of Thailand or its government, but in this case the offense taken is real, and if these two end up in a serious situation, it only serves them right.— December 1, 2017 2:28 p.m.
Cheesesteaks are still better than the Eagles
I live fairly close by. And for all the years it has been there, I've never eaten there. One day, maybe five years ago, I tried. Stepping in the door and up to the counter, I found nobody to take an order. After waiting 2-3 minutes and seeing or hearing nothing, I turned and left. Now that I know the prices (over ten bucks for a sandwich???) it will be a long time before I try again.— December 1, 2017 9:06 a.m.
"Reform by red tape" slowing H-1B sharply
Atkinson, a guy with severely handicapped morals, eventually became the president of the UC. One of a number of people who held that job and proved to have no competence as an administrator, he was succeeded by another former UCSD chancellor, Dynes, who was equally inept. What is it with these sneaky and slippery types who end up heading UC campuses, and especially UCSD? Academia once was a haven for folks were utterly without avarice; now it seems that many of those who rise to administrative positions are in it only for the wealth they can attain. Sad.— December 1, 2017 8:55 a.m.
29 years in jail for failed attempt to kill O’side cop
Excellent report as always, Eva. A number of things come to mind. He wasn't a gang member, says the defense attorney. They ALWAYS say that, and usually it is untrue. Then there's the matter of him being out on bail when this went down. We might be curious as to how he made bail; who bailed him out? If he was nervy enough to try to run down a cop, he's likely to try something with prison staff. The guards already will know he was sent up for attempting to kill a cop, and they don't like that at all. So, it is likely he'll do something while in prison that is equally serious if he ever gets the chance. Three bailiffs took him out of the courtroom. I think the usual procedure is for two to handle the task. They likely fear that he will try something at any moment, hence the short tether. Finally, this showed another side to Bowman. He can be really tough when sentencing rolls around.— December 1, 2017 8:47 a.m.
"Reform by red tape" slowing H-1B sharply
The Economist, a well respected British publication of long standing, now seems to be liberal (today's definition) on social matters, but conservative about economic matters. As you might suspect, it opposed Brexit for a host of reasons. But one might ask where it stands on immigration, that is immigration into the UK. Well, it is all in favor of it, the more the better, and justifies its stand on the basis that immigrants into that nation are all a net gain to the economy. Forgive me, I'm not convinced that the immigration practiced in Britain is bringing in the best, and that they all make an outsize contribution to the economy there. Furthermore, I"m not accepting the idea that what might work for London applies here. A couple times a week I'm in Mira Mesa, frequenting parks and the library, Every time I go there, I see plenty of Hindu-looking women with their kids using the facilities. I'm talking dozens or hundreds of them. Already a heavily Asian area from years past, it seems as if it is now being taken over by H-1B workers and their families. This is not a program of bringing in the best and brightest from offshore, but a near-invasion, sponsored by Qualcomm. That corporation has complained for years of a dearth of qualified applicants for its openings; hence they use the visa program. That's the claim. The reality is that the company refuses to interview hundreds of qualified applicants who are US citizens, and graduates of the local universities. Ironically, many of those who are never considered are products of the Jacobs School of Engineering at UCSD. (The old man, Irwin, who founded Qualcomm gave millions to the school to get his name on it.) When Qualcomm finally breaks down and hires Americans, they are often hired as temps through an agency, receiving little or no fringe benefits. That whole program is a racket, and whatever anyone (including myself) may think of Trump, if he dislikes the program, I support him for that. The best thing would be to abolish the H-1B program entirely, and then start from scratch to revisit the need for controlled immigration to fill jobs that would otherwise go begging.— November 30, 2017 4:22 p.m.