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The original Rotten Tomato
Thanks for excellent link and a perfect little inset. I have learned four new things: "beef stands" are places where sandwiches are called "beefs," "giardiniera" is Italian-sounding chutney and SCTV is old and funny. Did they run those shows in California? I must have been at the beach.— July 14, 2017 6:01 p.m.
The original Rotten Tomato
Great story about Chicago movie stores in the old days, Scottie, and you answered my question about what's-a-beef-stand before I could ask it. But what's "giardiniera?" Also, what's a "Count Floyd reference?"— July 14, 2017 4:05 p.m.
Balboa Park's Moreton Bay fig — how to keep the love
Green-coated chain-link essentially disappears in the landscape. It is serviceable, park-like and not so bad. Whatever is chosen, the watchwords need to be "less is more." Sheesh.— July 14, 2017 2:06 p.m.
Balboa Park's Moreton Bay fig — how to keep the love
OMG, here's an idea that should go directly into the crapper: build a "viewing" platform around the magnificent Moreton Bay Fig near the Natural History Museum? There's no reason benches can't be placed around the existing unobtrusive-yet-protective fence. Forget about building platforms, ramps, cable rail systems, "insets" for live entertainment! Less is more, people! Hands off! And those surface roots are part of the tree and its beauty: they are not "encroachments" on the lawn. Also, good to know about menacing language suggesting "tree removal and relocation" in the environmental impact report for the proposed reconfigured historic Cabrillo Bridge and construction of a parking garage near Plaza de Panama in west-central Balboa Park. More (non-eucalyptus) trees are always better than fewer, and "relocation" of trees is just code for an expensive slow death. No and no! We count on reporter Julie Stalmer to keep us informed.— July 14, 2017 12:25 p.m.
Christian Ramirez announces for Alvarez city council seat
Christian Ramirez is a wonderful person and will make a great City Council representative for the people in District 8. I hope SEIU will get behind him with campaign contributions and boots-on-the-ground to get out the vote. It appears the composition of San Diego City Council is shifting, with new emphasis on electing people who live, understand and care about home-issues that their communities face. District 6 Councilperson Georgette Gomez, formerly employed at the Environmental Health Coalition, notably has paved the way for this sea-change. May it continue.— July 14, 2017 11:51 a.m.
Top female researchers claim old boys network at Salk Institute — updated
Science is famously discriminatory toward women and Salk Institute is no exception. When you have only three female full professors out of 33 in 2017 you have got a serious problem. And that's just the official tally. As the lawsuit points out, there is less money, less lab space and less opportunity to present work at conferences of one's peers. That's what matters to scientists -- not administrative scut-work at the top of the masthead.— July 13, 2017 8:26 p.m.
U-T turning its stories into collection plates
Great that an independent newly-formed company will run the Chicago Sun-Times and preserve the famous and original Chicago Reader. After all the ink spent here on grabby tronc and its pushy publisher, you'd think there would be a more upbeat report on this welcome development. As you point out, the Baltimore alternative weekly paper, owned by tronc, was just shuttered. As for the U-T doing GoFundMe projects, well, that's seriously pathetic.— July 13, 2017 8:15 p.m.
Mayor’s top aides swap special interest places
Is Perry Plumbing still in business? This is a wonderful anecdote/antidote to the snarky negativity of these comments. Mayor Sunny has chosen wisely: Ms. Faucett looks like the starry-eyed actress, June Allyson, who was everybody's favorite sister/girl-next-door in 1940's movies. Her presence in the office will engender trust and confidence. It will be better that she work for the Mayor than for the Chamber.— July 11, 2017 4:59 p.m.
AP tests at Scripps Ranch invalidated
You are quite right, Julie: motivated and disciplined students who have prepared completely for an AP test -- or any test -- ought to do just fine. And no, in practice proliferating pre-fab AP courses do not measure up to the quality of the rare great high school class taught over a year by a person who has studied and loved his or her subject over a professional lifetime. San Diego Unified School District owes Scripps Ranch High students -- not the lone cheater, of course -- for the cost of the invalidated tests; for as many official District explanations as it takes to the colleges to which students have applied, explaining what happened and whose responsibility it was (a clear mea culpa from the District;) and an official request from the SDUSD for all colleges' forbearance from penalizing these students for lateness and proof of same in writing. San Diego Unified also could pay for all AP test re-dos. This would put a human face on our local school system and it would be a lot cheaper than paying its lawyers to sue the College Board.— July 11, 2017 4:15 p.m.
AP tests at Scripps Ranch invalidated
Spoken like a true hired-gun proctor of Advanced Placement Tests. If the rules for AP testing are not standardized nationwide, Visduh, the entire national AP process is thrown into disarray and AP's lucrative national business and cred are shot. And then what? The sky would fall, Chicken-Likken. Scripps Ranch High School, testing staff, the Board and Superintendent are clearly responsible for this mess and should pay costs for all related fallout of Scripps kids having to re-take those AP exams. San Diego Unified suing the College Board and ETS is ridiculous: the District is lucky if it avoids being sued itself. While we're at it, let's talk about the debatable educational value of AP courses. With rare exceptions, AP courses are Drill and Kill exercises and the antithesis of a full year's thoughtful reading, discussion and writing with an engaged teacher of a subject to which he or she is devoted. AP classes are not democratically open to all comers: participation/selection process varies widely from school to school. AP classes come with "weighted" grades for those who pass with a score of 3 to 5 -- advantage AP takers who get a higher grade-point average at graduation than peers who took regular or honors classes. And higher GPA is essential in the college admissions rat-race. AP learning (aka cramming) ends in early May when the AP exam is given, rather than mid-June when the school's academic year ends. Each test costs in the neighborhood of $100 -- a fortune for many public school kids -- and in recent years some school districts have subsidized costs for needy students. Finally, in the last decade-plus, schools have loaded up on AP offerings as a false face of general excellence, per circulation-enhancing rankings from U.S. News & World Report, rather than hone and develop their own teachers, standards and academic strengths.— July 10, 2017 10:11 p.m.