Why we wrote these stories Happy holidays, holy-days; Merry Christmas, Christ-mas. Once again, a voice cries out in the wilderness, this time a wilderness of shopping malls and office parties, saying, “Make ready the way …
December 24, 1997
Wednesday, December 24
San Diegans who do our dirty work
End-of-year quiz: clove cigarettes and cancer, vegetarian vampire
’Tis the night before Christmas, and the elves are all hung by the chimney with care. Otherwise, they eat the tinsel. But at least they were easy to shop for—two dozen CDs, Hanson: The Early …
December 24, 1997
Reader letter writers pick heroes
8/10/97 Hello, Reader! Just wrote this letter complimenting Bonnie at the El Cajon/Lakeside Wal-Mart, and then I remembered you are looking for special people. She certainly qualifies, so I thought I would send you a …
December 24, 1997
Junk left by sports junkies at Qualcomm stadium
“When I started here in 1971 as a sweeper,” says building supervisor Rudy Corona, as his flatbed cart zips through the hallways of Qualcomm Stadium, “I made $2.65 an hour. Now I make almost $18.00 …
December 24, 1997
A man in the women's bathroom on Fiesta Island
“The thing I do first,” says John Thomas as he pulls a trash bag out of a can and ties it, “is I go around and grab the bags of trash because the seagulls will …
December 24, 1997
Metro Vacuum in La Mesa cleans abused machines
I would like to sing the praises of Lee Adams as one of “San Diego’s Best” at doing the dirty work. Daily, he cleans the dust, dirt, grime, gook, food, and feces (yes, feces, believe …
December 24, 1997
Reader writer undergoes colon hydrotherapy
I would like to enter Annalia Russell into your “San Diego’s Best" contest. Annalia is an exceptional individual in the field of colon hydrotherapy. She has made me feel very much at ease with the …
December 24, 1997
Alan Jobe's pumps poop out of boats from Chula Vista to Shelter Island
On many boats, the toilet- or marine head, to be technical- empties into a holding tank which eventually fills up and must be emptied, but NOT into the bay. There are pump-out stations for this …
December 24, 1997
Dead, but not buried – El Camino Mortuary in Sorrento Valley.
“There are three events in a person’s life that are very significant: birth, weddings, and death. I think the people in this profession have an opportunity to be part of a very major event; we …
December 24, 1997
San Diego's paramedics – men behind the sirens
Dear Reader, “Walkup...Walkup...Walkup," I said over and over again. “What are you saying?” he asked. “Your name." "Why?" he laughed. “So I’ll never forget how wonderful you are.... Walkup...Walk-up...Walkup." I was 19, and after the …
December 24, 1997
Sarah Valdez at the Home of Guiding Hands
Dear Reader, The Best: Sarah E. Valdez Occupation: CNA/Direct Care Provider Reason: It would be easy to dismiss Sarah as just another paid-to-give-a-damn professional, but that would be doing her a great disservice. Over the …
December 24, 1997
When autistic kids don't make progress
Dear Reader, Jennifer Carlisle was a behavioral aide (teacher’s aide) at the San Diego Center for Children School for Autism for 15 months. She started working at the school only a few months after its …
December 24, 1997
UCSD's Dr. Phillip Groves cuts up rats
“My work consists primarily of brain research,” says Dr. Phillip Groves, neuroscientist at UCSD. “The animals that I use mostly are experimental rats, laboratory rats, although I’ve done a number of experiments on different animals …
December 24, 1997
San Diego's dead-animal collector
Mario Lopez, dead-animal collector for the City of San Diego, leads me to his white GMC pickup parked outside the City Environmental Services building in Kearny Mesa. It’s around 11:00 a.m. and he’s been working …
December 24, 1997
17,000 deaths at San Diego County Animal Shelter
“Last year, we dealt with over 31,000 animals in our department alone,” says Lieutenant Jim Wright from behind his desk at the Central County Animal Shelter. “But we don’t have 31,000 people knocking at our …
December 24, 1997
Thursday, December 18
Tennis pro Geoff Griffin, Chargers' Equipment Manager, USD Assistant Basketball Coach, former San Diego Sockers coach, SDSU volleyball coaches, pro bowlers
The last 4 of my parents' 17 children are boys. I am the second to last. Being boys, we loved sports and we did little else but play them. My younger brother Peter and I …
December 18, 1997
Why egg nog is a Christmas drink
Dear Matthew Alice: As the season of “Eat, drink, and be merry!" begins, so; too does the appearance of eggnog at our local grocery stores. Why do the vendors not sell this delicious drink all …
December 18, 1997
Almost $8K for Otay Mesa birds
Parrots are like drugs. People crave them. People smuggle them. The government tries to stop it, but smugglers are smart, and people demand parrots. After drugs, people make more money smuggling wildlife across the U.S. …
December 18, 1997
Misty of Chincoteague author ends up in Rancho Santa Fe
When Marguerite Henry died last month at the age of 95, a relationship that began for me more than 35 years ago came to a premature end. Henry and I met for the first and …
December 18, 1997
Andrew Cunanan, Larry Lawrence, Helen Copley
National media types are getting their jollies from the way the Union-Tribune has covered this year's unprecedented round of big San Diego stories. First it was the cross-country murder spree of Bishop's School alum Andrew …
December 18, 1997
Praise for Dad, and not because of Christmas loot
Christmastime is here, and to commemorate the Father's gift of His Son to the world, fathers everywhere are buying loot for their kids. Oh, what a generous God; oh, what a generous Dad. This is …
December 18, 1997
Why the Nutcracker's central character is called Clara
Matthew Alice: ETA Hoffmann, from whose story of the Nutcracker the popular ballet story is taken, called his central character Marie, I believe, but the ballerina is called Clara. Why and when was the name …
December 18, 1997
What makes a Christmas tree "fresh"
Dear Matthew Alice: I notice that one sells anything but “fresh” Christmas trees. How fresh is “fresh”? Were these trees actually cut last weekend, or maybe last September? Does die FDA or FTC or anyone …
December 18, 1997
How they spell out the word “JOY” at the Mission Valley Hilton
Dear Matthew Alice: How does the Mission Valley Hilton manage to spell out the word “JOY” every holiday season in 'what appear to be its lighted windows? Do they.perhaps have rock-bottom room rates for guests …
December 18, 1997
Thursday, December 11
Susan Golding, Helen Copley, and funding of the 1996 GOP convention
Last year's Republican Convention was supposed to put San Diego on the map and boost Mayor Susan Golding’s political aspirations. But a little more than a year after the delegates departed from what turned out …
December 11, 1997
How to dry a comforter
Dear Matt: I bought a comforter for my bed the other day and was reading the care instructions on the label. It says I'm supposed to dry the thing in a “larger-capacity dryer with a …
December 11, 1997
James Meredith's Black Boys' and Men's Library School lands in San Diego
Rosalie Martin knows the vicissitudes of raising black boys, having seen two sons through college and graduate school and into corporate careers and now with a grandson in her care. So when her old friend …
December 11, 1997
Will the attack on Jesús Blancornelas change Tijuana journalism?
When Miguel Cervantes was 14 years old, he told his mother he wanted to be a reporter. At that time in Tijuana, no college or university offered degrees or courses in journalism. "I'll have to …
December 11, 1997
Chargers sink, stadium costs rise
Although the Chargers' fortunes are sinking, stadium expansion costs continue to rise. The city council says it's trying to pinch pennies by using volunteers to paint the place, but expenses are rapidly mounting elsewhere. Handicapped …
December 11, 1997
Rats and Lilies
The rules of gardening and housekeeping are clear on rodents and lilies. Lilies are good, rats are bad. Childhood reading had ill-prepared me to whack off rats’ heads. I was raised on Mickey Mouse, Tom and Jerry.
December 11, 1997
Fox urine as deterrent to squirrels
Matmail: (Here's a copy of a letter I thought you might be interested in.) “After many battles with the squirrels, it seems like I've finally won. I found a Web site selling animal urines, www.websiteserv.com/predator. …
December 11, 1997
Pilots who fly over penguins and make them fall over
Dear Matt: My aunt says she read in the paper that pilots who fly over penguins in the Arctic can make them all fall over by flying very low. She says they do it as …
December 11, 1997
What he symbol "USA” splotched on the ground means
Matt. As I ride my bike through the streets of San Diego, I see various symbols, usually with arrows or dotted lines, painted on the pavement. These letters include things like “MH, ” pointing to …
December 11, 1997
A night with the astronomer monks of Palomar Mountain
A phone call came in from Rick’s wife—she wanted to say goodnight. “My beautiful wife,” he said when he hung up, smiling. He had a job in astronomy, yes, but he’d sacrificed the goodnight kiss.
December 11, 1997
Why Kaiser will rule the world of medicine
OUR INDEPENDENT PROVIDER ASSOCIATION (IPA) MEETING THURSDAY NIGHT ADDRESSED NEARLY EVERY NIGHTMARISH ASPECT OF PRACTICING MEDICINE IN THE 1990S. MEETINGS SUCH AS THIS ARE RUINING MY HEALTH. Three months ago, our IPA announced it had …
December 11, 1997
What Frank Gagliardi did with $26,000,000 in lottery winnings
When he won, Gagliardi gave his trucking business to his brother — “Hell, who wants to drive a truck when you don’t have to?”—and he left his motorcycle business to his ex-wife after the divorce.
December 11, 1997
Thursday, December 4
Fiction writer Cris Mazza suffers death of a shelti
When I was a freshman in college, our family pet, a Shetland sheepdog named Shep, was killed by a car as he roamed the neighborhood in search of a bitch in season. A student in …
December 4, 1997
Why you pull out more than one facial tissue at a time
Q: Hi, Matt! Why is it that every time I open a brand new box of facial tissues, I pull out two or three tissues at once? I only want one at a time. Why …
December 4, 1997
La Jolla's Diversa gets to mine Yellowstone
When Diversa Corporation, a biotech company based in La Jolla, signed the first commercial prospecting agreement in a national park four months ago, Vice President Al Gore applauded it as a landmark alliance between the …
December 4, 1997
Alex Spanos treats Bob Hope
Bob Hope needs a lift, and Alex G. Spanos is there. Not in person -- Spanos is long gone, boiling mad and flying home aboard his private Gulfstream jet -- but there in spirit and …
December 4, 1997
How to procure 1998 Super Bowl tickets
Who says locals can't go to the Super Bowl? But you need to either be good buddies with a city councilmember or have enough scratch to pay your own way. Check out some current ticket …
December 4, 1997
Why we call the gobblers turkeys
Okay, Matt: Now that turkey day is past, I'll try again: Why do we call the gobblers turkeys? Why do the Turks call them indias? And I've since learned from an Indian friend that the …
December 4, 1997
After they shot Juan Soldado in 1938
Tijuana: Valentine’s Day, 1938. In the most notorious crime in the young city’s history, an all-night search by relatives, friends, and authorities ends at dawn with the discovery of eight-year-old Olga Comacho’s butchered body, half …
December 4, 1997