THE #13 STREET STOCK CAR rounded the corner and violently smashed sideways into the wall, and the crowd let out a cheer. The ensuing spinout and flip-over left the car a smoking, flaming tin can, …
March 10, 2005
News & Stories
Hearts pound at Cajon Speedway
Afterthoughts
Ninety-nine out of a hundred other Hollywood directors would have done the same thing.
March 10, 2005
Rachel Pink in Manhattan
My blog, Rachelpink Rides the Bus, started as a lark over a long weekend. At first it was an exercise in self-restraint. I thought I was talking too much, talking all the time. I figured …
March 10, 2005
North, South, And Sideways
I got a couple of phone calls about parties on a Saturday. The first was from a guy in Mexico who had seen my story about the party I attended in Tijuana. He said, "I'm …
Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith
Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith. Crown Publishers, 2005; 320 pages; $24.95. FROM THE DUST JACKET: In a thoughtful examination of faith, Martha Beck chronicles her decision to leave …
March 10, 2005
Bug Snapshot
'On a daily basis, innumerable signals are broadcast on innumerable frequencies, all passing through our bodies, houses, everything, constantly. Unless we have a receiver tuned to a specific frequency, these invisible transmissions go largely unnoticed...I …
March 10, 2005
I Was Chased Down
"I was chased down, called [an expletive], and stabbed. I assume they were white supremacists." Rapper/blues guitarist Jae Strawbridge, 25, had just spoken with Johan Acevedo, managing partner of the Longshot bar in San Marcos, …
March 10, 2005
A Stabbing Occurred at the California Theatre
A stabbing occurred at the California Theatre, 1122 Fourth Avenue, on the night of February 17, according to the San Diego police department's "Watch Commander's Log" (Incident #37682). The victim was the venue's 50-year-old custodian …
March 10, 2005
"I Just Stick it in My Ear and Drive"
"I just stick it in my ear and drive," says Emily Vigney (of the Poway-Bernardo Mortuary featured on A&E's Family Plots) about wearing headphones. She owns a 40 GB iPod. "Some people think you're on …
March 10, 2005
Brenda Spencer was 16
Brenda Spencer was 16 in January 1979 when she inspired the Boomtown Rats song "I Don't Like Mondays" by opening fire with her father's 0.22 caliber rifle on Grover Elementary School in San Carlos. She …
March 10, 2005
Cordless Radio Headsets that Retail for $1100
Cordless radio headsets that retail for $1100 from Muzak (located on Chesapeake Drive in San Diego) have been popping up on eBay, according to a grand theft report (#05-005711) filed by San Diego police officer …
March 10, 2005
I Hydroplaned
"I hydroplaned on the road and hit the back of this red truck." Murphy Martin, 16, singer/guitarist with the band Muff, was on the road on a rainy February 19, heading north. "I dented the …
March 10, 2005
When it Comes to Marketing
"When it comes to marketing, increased volume has been a staple of radio and TV commercials," says Dan O'Neill, chief technology officer for La Jolla's Trusonic, Inc., the company that broadcasts the music you hear …
March 10, 2005
Discover a secretive, 50-foot waterfall in the rocky Arroyo Seco gorge above Pasadena.
The Spanish colonists who christened Arroyo Seco ("dry creek") evidently noted only its lower end -- a sweltering, boulder-strewn wash emptying into the Los Angeles River. It's hard to believe this same watercourse, draining the …
March 10, 2005
Cleaning House
Character is so largely affected by association, that we cannot afford to be indifferent as to who or what our friends are. -- Anonymous 'W here's Mary?" Carolyn asked as revelers began to arrive. "Not …
March 10, 2005
Out of the past
If Pete Wilson is coming back to be mayor of San Diego again, can his old pal Dick Silberman be far behind? So it seemed last week, a day after KPBS talking head Gloria Penner …
March 10, 2005
The Reader's Eye on Television
WE WERE ALREADY DRUNK AS HELL. We'd been at a birthday party in an apartment near the airport drinking beer and vodka for hours. The cocaine kept us operating at a normal frequency despite the …
March 10, 2005
R.J. Donovan Correctional Facility (Kairos Prison Ministry)
Tall, barbed-wire fences surround R.J. Donovan Correctional Facility near the San Diego-Mexico border. Approximately 5500 inmates call the blue-and-white cement buildings home. Twice a year Kairos Prison Ministry runs a three-day weekend program for the …
March 10, 2005
The Celebrity Factor
Jurors who had spent eight days hearing a medical malpractice case were stunned when it was declared a mistrial February 28. All 15 jurors told the plaintiff's attorneys that they would have found the physician …
March 10, 2005
Ramen Noodles
'C'mon, Eve. Spend a few more pennies and enjoy your ramen," chided my old college buddy Canisius. "There are some really good ramens out there, and they don't take any longer to prepare." Canisius is …
March 10, 2005
Race Day
I bounce over to www.iditarod.com, click on "Race Updates," watch the page load, let loose a sincere but muted, "This is good," pick up the phone, and dial a number in Fairbanks. The receiver clicks, …
March 10, 2005
Shoeless on the freeway
Matt: I don't mean to be morbid, maybe just inappropriate, but over the years I keep hearing of pedestrians being hit by cars who literally fly out of their shoes. I'm not talking about your …
March 10, 2005
It's a pe-nana!
Matt: My boss told me today that kiwi fruit is a genetically engineered fruit crossing a peach with a banana. PUH-lease tell me this is a farce! -- Gretchen, the net Would you rather be …
March 10, 2005
Hare? Rabbit? What's the diff?
Heymatt: What's the difference between a hare and a rabbit? Size? Musical stylings? -- Jay, the net Hair. Hair stylings. Well, actually baby hair. Hares are born with hair, rabbits aren't. Hare babies have their …
March 10, 2005
Urinal agonies
Matt: I cannot urinate with some guy standing next to me at the men's room. I know I'm not the only one. I see others afflicted with this block. On a radio show I heard …
March 10, 2005
Your Special Island
"What d'ya call people from Guam?" asked my old friend, actor-singer-songwriter George Gerdes, in his coffeehouse performances years ago. His audience would shout out tongue-twisting wild guesses. Then George would shake his head, lean into …
March 10, 2005
Hello, Rangoon
“Three days, celebrating the arrival of the monsoon. People throw water at each other. It’s silly but fun.”
March 10, 2005