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Archives for April 2013

Review: Barrio Logan’s Ryan Bros. Coffee

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Ryan Bros. Coffee
1894 Main St.   
San Diego, CA  92113
619-546-6314

By Judi Curry

It is so seldom that my daughters and I get together just to enjoy ourselves. Today was an exceptional day for us. Unfortunately, my middle daughter, Lynn, lives near Anaheim and her plan to catch an Amtrak to join us fell through when the tracks were closed for maintenance. We missed her and hope she will join Michele, Stephanie and me at some other time.

Our goal had also been to visit the Public Market and we were disappointed to find out that it was only open on Wednesday and Sunday.   [Read more…]

The Dove and the Cockerel: Chapter 32

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The appearance of the man on the gurney drew everyone’s attention in the holding tank, including Joaquin Torres. Among the deportees, Joaquin did not stand out, as he sat pondering how he would get back across the border once he was released. He recognized Leonard Jefferson immediately and his rage began to grow. In Joaquin’s mind, that was the man who had caused all this crap to happen.

As soon as the paramedics and guards left the tank, Joaquin motioned for four of his companions to watch the door. He walked to Jefferson’s side. Leonard was doped up, but not asleep. He surveyed his new surroundings as best he could, completely held in place by the leather restraints. The man standing over him looked familiar, but it took a moment for him put a name with the face.   [Read more…]

Drums Beat at the Heart of Chicano Park

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By Olympia Andrade Beltrán

Drums pounding like a heart beat at the center of Chicano Park, Aztec dancers adorned with feathers and gourd rattles pound out their blessings for another year’s celebration with their feet. It has been this way since the beginning. The Aztec prayers are honored in the murals of the park by the founding artists who became danzantes in their own right, a resurgence of centuries old traditions born again in La Tierra Mia.

I was 13 years old when I first donned feathers on my head and rattles on my feet for the 19th Annual Chicano Park Day celebration. I nervously stood in line with other dancers, listening to stories from the elders about The Toltecas En Aztlán and the founding of Chicano Park, awaiting the sound of conch shells to tell me it was time to begin the procession. The smell of smoke and copal incense helped me to focus my thoughts and prayers and as I looked out at the cheering crowd, I raised my head high with a sense of pride, humility and honor.   [Read more…]

Banks Wrongfully Foreclose: Get a Slap on the Wrist

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Those illegally foreclosed on get a pittance in return.

By John Lawrence

Banks foreclosed on military service members, homeowners who had been approved for a loan modification and even homeowners who were current on their payments. At least 53 homeowners who weren’t behind on their payments were successfully foreclosed on and lost their homes for no reason.

There was widespread criminal behavior on the part of the banks, but in a recent settlement they got off relatively cheap.

A foreclosure settlement between the government and 13 banks on April 9 spread $3.6 billion in cash among millions of borrowers. The consultants who determined how much each homeowner would get happened to be bank employees and will get $2 billion for their efforts.   [Read more…]

Boston Bombing Suspects Echo Home-Grown Terrorists in Madrid, London Attacks

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By Sebastian Rotella / ProPublica

As an eighth-grader in a Cambridge public school, suspected Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was quiet, friendly, spoke good English and seemed at home in his adopted country.

While hundreds of police officers pursued the 19-year-old during a nationally-televised rampage across Boston Friday, a former classmate recounted memories of the refugee who, according to counterterror officials, became a U.S. citizen on an ironic date: Sept. 11, 2012.

The story of the Boston bombers, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his 26-year-old brother, Tamerlan, is still unfolding at high speed. Many aspects of the case, including the brothers’ motivations, are not yet clear.   [Read more…]

SD For Free: Chicano Park Day – Saturday, April 20

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By John P. Anderson

A weekly column dedicated to sharing the best sights and activities in San Diego at the best price – free!  We have a great city and you don’t need to break the bank to experience it.

  1. Address: Map for directions here (intersection of Dewey Street and National Avenue in Barrio Logan, 92113)
  2. Date and Time: Saturday, April 20 from 10 AM – 5 PM
  3. Best For: Good food, good fun, families, historians, artists
  4. Website: chicano-park.org/

This year Barrio Logan and Chicano Park have a lot of reasons to celebrate.  This Saturday, April 20th, at the annual Chicano Park Day from 10 AM – 5 PM presents an opportunity to do so.  Local residents and visitors will gather to celebrate the history and art of the park, as well as to enjoy time with friends and family.  Live dance and music performances will be on display and food and crafts will be available for sale as well.

This year’s Chicano Park Day will be the first since the park was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 23, 2013.  The 7.4 acre park was created in 1970 after local residents protested against a planned California Highway Patrol substation that was to be built on the site.   [Read more…]

The Starting Line – Congressman Peters Trumpets Vote for Flawed Cybersecurity Bill; President Threatens Veto

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By Doug Porter

The press release was a master stroke of Orwellian NewSpeak.  Representative Scott “Better Than Bilbray” Peters was touting passage of H.R. 624, ‘The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA),’ “which passed the House of Representatives with 288 votes in favor and 127 against on a bipartisan basis.”

Finally, we are led to believe, Congress has taken action to protect the nation against “cyber attacks that could cripple our infrastructure and our national security, and cost our country untold amounts of money and jobs.”

Oh, and all those concerns people might have about privacy and oversight were taken care of via amendments, or so we’re told.

The only problem with all this congratulatory rhetoric is that it’s not true.

INSIDE: Big Pharma Fights Back, Local Actions in Support of Boston Marathon Runners & Gun Safety, Anti-Union Group Cries Wolf

BREAKING: We will have coverage of events in Boston later on. Unlike the New York Post & CNN we aren’t in any big hurry to misinform you.   [Read more…]

The Starting Line – Boston Bombing Evidence Blocked by NRA Lobbying Efforts

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By Doug Porter

Investigators pursuing forensic evidence in the Boston Marathon Bombing case have already determined that the devices used consisted of gunpowder packed into at least one pressure cooker along with pieces of metal, nails and ball bearings.

Were it not for the repeated efforts of the National Rifle Association, authorities could trace the manufacturer and possibly even the chain of custody of the gunpowder used to kill three people and injure more than 170 on Sunday.

Thanks to lobbying efforts by the NRA, explosive makers are not required to place tracing elements called taggants in gunpowder. Plastic explosives and non-gunpowder detonators are all required by law to contain these tracing elements.

On two occasions over the past five decades lawmakers attempting to mandate the use of identification taggants have run into a buzz saw of disinformation distributed by gun lobby supporters falsely claiming the  microscopic color-coded particles would somehow impair performance.

INSIDE: Pauma Organizing Drive Underway, Retribution Filner Style, Issa’s Big Campaign Stash, Gabby Giffords, Diane Feinstein & More…   [Read more…]

Barrio Logan Community Plan Update: Will It Address Community Environmental Challenges?

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By Joy Williams

It’s official: Barrio Logan is an environmental justice hot spot.

According to CalEnviroScreen, the State’s environmental justice screening model, the Barrio Logan area ranks among the most vulnerable areas of the entire state.

Currently, 92113, the Barrio Logan zip code ranks in the top 5% in the state for environmental justice risks to the community and highest in San Diego County.

Developed by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, CalEnviroScreen ranks California zip codes by their cumulative impacts of economic, environmental, health, and social disadvantage indicators. The model is in final draft mode and has had extensive input from community groups, academics, and others. With those particular indicators, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s been in Barrio Logan anytime in the last several decades that we’re at the top of that not-so-majestic list.

A strikingly obvious feature of Barrio Logan is that land uses are mixed together in a way not seen in any other community in San Diego.   [Read more…]

No More Hurting People – Peace

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by Ernie McCray

Everyone, perhaps, has now seen the picture of Martin Richards, the 8 year old boy who lost his life in Boston, holding a sign that says “No more hurting people – Peace.” Oh, if we, as a society, could live in such a caring way.

And these sentiments, expressed by Mr. Rogers, of children’s television fame, have gone viral in cyberspace: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'”

How true, and I see Martin, even though he has been taken away from us, as one of the “helpers” of the world that Mr. Rogers has painted in our minds as he is already helping me to carry on after the madness at the Boston Marathon.   [Read more…]

“Everything Comes from the Streets” Documents Lowriding in San Diego Premier

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Registration Required

A new documentary that traces the origins and history of lowriding in San Diego

by Alberto López Pulido

“Everything Comes From the Streets” feature the lives and voices of the pioneers of the lowrider movement in the borderlands of San Diego and Tijuana that brought forth a unique Chicana and Chicano lowrider aesthetic and expression.

This documentary challenges past interpretations of the California Lowrider Scene that has been dominated by lowrider history from Los Angeles and instead highlights the importance of Jacket Clubs, Car Customizers, the U.S.-Mexico border, Women, the Chicano Movement and the establishment of Chicano Park in the history of Chicano San Diego that brought forth a unique lowrider story and movement for California history and the American Southwest.   [Read more…]

Sex in San Diego: Why Do Women Fake Orgasms?

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By Liz Langley / Alternet

I think I was about 11 years old when I asked my mother what an orgasm was. I remember her saying “I don’t know.”

Not to impugn anyone with whom my mother was intimately acquainted but I can’t be sure she was lying. It could have been the “I-don’t-want-to-explain-this,” variety of lie, or the “Ambushed! Play dumb!” variety or it could have been true. For all the sex scandals we’ve seen we should know by now never to assume jack about anyone’s private life.

I had asked because orgasms were everywhere, except, I guess, in people’s bedrooms. They were on book covers and TV talk shows and it seemed that this was a once-private subject, the sudden public discussion of which was making some people upset and uncomfortable, so naturally I wanted to know more. I don’t remember if my mom ever addressed the subject again but I cobbled together, with the help of various media, a half-assed idea of what an orgasm was, or at least how it sounded and naturally heard about women faking it, though not fully understanding what, I didn’t fully understand why.

One researcher has finally taken that question to academia.   [Read more…]

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