“Tengo que ir hacer laundry, then I have to study en la biblioteca,” I’m paraphrasing what the Latina students in my college sounded like. My first real encounter with Spanglish speakers was in Minnesota. Spanglish …
December 28, 2016
News & Stories
Tijuana destroys Spanish and English
Record-releases to kick off 2017
When Grizzly Business plays a release party for Spanish Old-Fashioned on January 7 at Soda Bar, “Attendees can definitely expect a ghost of Christmas past to join us on the stage,” according to cofounder Walter …
December 28, 2016
A New Year without El Niño
On New Year’s Eve, local groundfish might have a reason to celebrate. In the angling community over the past couple winters, our lucky New Year’s baby has been the El Niño conditions that kept yellowtail …
December 28, 2016
As tilapia goes by
Oh, boy. Fish looks up at me from the plate. His open mouth seems to be saying something. “Help!” “See that?” I ask Mary Beth. “Your imagination,” she says, “is running rampant. It’s a tilapia. …
December 28, 2016
Inspired by the bombing of Fort McHenry
Star Spangled Banner [first verse] O say can you see, by the dawn’s early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming, Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, …
December 28, 2016
Now you know: San Diego singer/songer, boss juggler Sam Bybee
"Here’s why open mics are important to me,” says Sam Bybee. “Fifteen years ago, there wasn’t much in the way of outlets for artists of any kind who were welcome to come and hone their …
December 28, 2016
Rancho Santa Fe megamillionaire fails to disclose lobbying activities
Charles Black, a key figure in the drive by Rancho Santa Fe mega-millionaire and ex–Padres owner John Moores to build the team’s Petco Park, has copped a plea with San Diego’s ethics commission for failing …
December 28, 2016
Stung on her first day
Name: Darian Alexandra Age: 23 Location: Pacific Beach Occupation: Server at Kono’s Cafe Darian Alexandra moved to Pacific Beach from northern Indiana on Christmas day 2014 with the sole purpose of learning to surf. She …
December 28, 2016
Lost to 2016
The grim reaper has taken a major toll on the world’s music community this year and San Diego has been not been exempt. Here’s a look back at those we lost in 2016: January 2, …
December 28, 2016
How Lizard Canyon got its name is no surprise
Rangers began exploring Anza-Borrego Desert State Park systematically during the 1950s. They kept detailed logs and recorded their findings. When a wash or canyon did not have a name, they assigned one. Ranger Frank Fairchild …
December 28, 2016
The Middlebrow Monk's best films of 2016
Matthew Lickona here. One of the painful things about looking back over the year in reviews is you get an eyeful of your unfortunate overuses. I’m going to try to excise “riveting,” “gripping,” and “fascinating” …
December 28, 2016
Theater year in review: performance
For San Diego Theater in 2016, I wish everyone could have seen the following: 1918 at the Fringe Festival. La Moana, a dance troupe from New Zealand, arrived with no fanfare and blew audiences to …
December 28, 2016
Like a dodgeball ninja
If you mention dodgeball to someone over 18 years of age the most likely response will be to either praise or denigrate the 2004 film of the same name starring Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn. …
December 28, 2016
Little drummer girl Carmen Murray
“I got the recommendation from [hand-drum pro] Monette Marino,” confides 14-year-old percussionist Carmen Murray. “The symphony asked her for a young player and I got the call one day before the audition. I just played …
December 28, 2016
Make cash king in 2017
Dear Hipster:What will you do differently in 2017?— B. Despite my general disdain for mainstream concerns, I’ve come to appreciate the New Year’s Resolution, at least in a conceptual sense. Despite the fact that the …
December 28, 2016
Must-see movies of 2016
10) Hirokazu Koreeda’s Our Little Sister At their estranged father’s funeral, the oldest of three sisters takes it upon herself to ask her little-known teenage half-sister — the product of an adulterous relationship that “crushed …
December 28, 2016
Don’t tell your father I never voted for Nixon
Hubert Humphrey — Richard Avedon, March 12th, 1976 Whether or not he won, Humphrey looks like the candidate who lost: no sensual lip, cheeks drawn, eyes slanted wary of hawks. Vietnam has ended. In a …
December 28, 2016
Slow Hollows' new-gen new wave
Rock radio in the years leading up to Van Halen was overwhelmed with the sounds of a format called new wave, otherwise known as synth pop. A lot of that music was exported from Britain. …
December 28, 2016
Trump economy: Boring in San Diego?
Economic forecasters are befuddled. Will President Trump ignite destructive trade wars? Or will a crackdown on companies shipping jobs overseas jack up employment and stimulate the economy? Will his planned massive tax cuts thrust the …
December 28, 2016
General Atomics has some explaining to do
La Jolla–based military contractor General Atomics, maker of the Predator drone and other lucrative pieces of battle-ready hardware, also provides radiation monitoring systems for atomic reactors. The company’s latest installation came in July of this …
December 28, 2016
Puzzling letters
Not There :( I really miss the Sudoku contest where you had a chance to win a t-shirt or a hat. I keep hoping it’s going to come back, but every time I open the …
December 28, 2016