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San Diego's great red light camera rebellion
Bob Filner...I join Java in saying this is a real change for San Diego. Has the city ever had a leader like this? He's actually acting like a strong Mayor who is interested in doing the right thing, not rewarding his friends with public money. I don't like Filner personally, but as a policy maker this guy is rocking my world. 1. Supports medical marijuana 2. Opposes Jacobs power grab at the park. 3. Defies Papa Doug's demands for special treatment. 4. Fires the Republican lobbyists. 5. Revokes the red light cameras. Holy cow! So far I'm impressed.— February 1, 2013 10:36 p.m.
Jury selection began for two California Border Patrol agents
Java, how in the world does this story remind you of Hedwig and the Angry Inch? (Weird and cool movie!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bk2-01qE_18— February 1, 2013 10:27 p.m.
New filing shows U-T's Manchester personally backed Carl DeMaio and GOP to tune of $283,900
Monaghan, it's not just the UT. CityBeat and VOSD are also trying to portray Filner as incivil, hiding information, fighting the city council... They sometimes mask this with "Dems vs Reps" as part of the story line, but none of them reveal what this is really about: Insiders vs Outsiders For the Insiders, you've got glory seeking toadies like Todd Gloria, who has earned a reputation for being bought by special interests, especially developers and government contractors who will fund his congressional aspirations. For the Outsiders you've got Filner and maybe Frye. Reporters are all butt hurt that they're not getting the deferential treatment they grew accustomed to receiving from the former reporters Sanders hired to flatter them, and they're looking for any excuse to go after Filner. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out, but my concern is that Filner is vastly outnumbered and cannot make even one mistake...while the insiders will cover up any of their own misdeeds. Personally, I don't like "Smiling Bob" one bit. He's annoying, arrogant, ill tempered, plastic...but he tells what he believes to be the truth, and he's got more courage than all the rest of San Diego's current politicians combined. I wish him well...— January 31, 2013 11:29 p.m.
Don't believe bank reports, says Partnoy
Not just too big to fail...too big to tell the truth. I foresee another collapse in the near future, but this time the government won't have anything to bail them out with. Don, what is the hedge against this? Bullion? Real estate? Guns?— January 31, 2013 12:06 p.m.
Padres's Grandal linked to Florida drug lab
I'm more concerned about the SDPD and Sheriffs Deputies who are "juicing". Until there is random steroid testing for cops, the public cannot be safe on the streets. Sports players can do what they like with their bodies...but when it comes to public safety being in the hands of thugs with badges who are shooting themselves up with steroids, that's a genuine news story that continues not to be told, much less investigated or dealt with by the authorities.— January 31, 2013 11:57 a.m.
TV and video games may intensify violence
Don, I think there should be a distinction between viewing fictional violence, and viewing actual violence. The last two decades has seen both a dramatic drop in violent crime, and a dramatic rise in hours spent playing video games. So there's little reason to believe video games, which everyone knows is fake, is causing violence...in fact, there's not even correlation between video games and violence. The opposite might even be true. But when it comes to viewing actual violence, as you described, with replays of "smash mouth" hits, performed on real people with real consequences, I believe that could have a dramatic affect on the intensity of the violence performed by the viewers. What is without doubt however, and what any military veteran can tell you, is that when you practice performing violence, it becomes easier and easier. So in basic training you don't shoot at round targets, but people shaped targets. You don't bayonet balls, but human shaped dummies. In our schools, while everyone else is being taught the principles of cooperation and non-violence, the football team is practicing how to be violent. They've got coaches screaming at them to hit harder. They practice on real people, learning how to tackle, hit, get in the dirty punch. Is it any surprise that computer nerds, who play lots of video games, are rarely arrested for violent crimes, while football players, whether at high school, college, or professional levels, are disproportionately represented on the blotters? So I believe it's not seeing fake violence, but witnessing and participating in REAL violence that makes someone prone to violent behavior in real life. The obvious solution to this is to remove football from our schools, at any level, immediately. (Coincidentally this would free up money in cash starved districts for actual educational purposes, instead of playing games.)— January 30, 2013 8:48 p.m.
To breastfeed at Felix’s Restaurant in Lincoln Park was all she wanted
Pidge...what woman isn't "discreet" in her nursing? Have you ever seen a case where a mother is "indiscreet"? Neither has anyone else... And so what if it were the case that someone could see? Who is damaged? Who is offended? Who is bothered? If you don't like to see breasts used for their most obvious and natural function, then you certainly have other mental health issues as well...— January 23, 2013 8:46 p.m.
To breastfeed at Felix’s Restaurant in Lincoln Park was all she wanted
People need to get over breasts...we all have them, you know. No kid is ever going to be traumatized because they see a breast. Can anyone cite even one case...any case...any time...ever? No? The tired excuse that children would be offended is just that - and excuse...the only people mentioned in this article who claim to be offended by breasts are other women who aren't actually offended, but simply offensive. If you don't want to see breasts, then don't look at them, whether they're on the beach, on the television, or being used for their most obvious function. If you think breast feeding is somehow sexually suggestive, look into getting treatment...you're seriously sick. The notion that children could somehow be damaged or traumatized by seeing a woman breast feeding is ridiculous..."I was damaged for life because my mother put her nipple into my mouth when I was just a baby. I'm a victim of abuse!" Let's all ignore bitter shriveled biddies with nothing better to do than complain because a mother is doing what a mother should do. The kids don't care one bit. To force a woman and her baby into the bathroom to feed is what's really offensive.— January 23, 2013 8:43 p.m.
Economy 2013 "maddeningly slow"
Ponzi, you are so right. "The founders and innovators create great things and then the MBA's and Wall Street monsters come along and...." I work with the creative engineers who made our modern world work, and they are almost universally filled with utter contempt for the frat boy MBAs who backslap their way into the executive suites and destroy what we have made. I've seen it so many times, I could write a manual on all the steps involved in the process.— January 20, 2013 12:10 a.m.
Economy 2013 "maddeningly slow"
I was one of the fortunate ones, working in software in San Diego. But like so many of my colleagues, I got tired of the "sunshine tax", and even more importantly, like most of my colleagues, I actually appreciate culture, music, society, art and challenging intellectual conversations. These are all in short supply in San Diego. Living and working in central europe nowadays, I have more interesting experiences in a week that I would get in a year in San Diego. With the exception of Balboa Park, there's not much in the way of cultural institutions in San Diego that interest me and my friends...and Irwin Jacobs, the guy who used goverment funded research to start his company, and now abuses H1B visas to impoverish his workers, is doing his best to destroy the park. Nope. I don't think I'll ever want to work in San Diego again...though I do come back from time to time to work on political campaigns (though mostly I advise them online nowadays).— January 20, 2013 12:04 a.m.