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Archives for 2014

The Light at the End of the Shutdown: Looking Back at October 2013

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For the twelve days of Christmas I give you: The madness of 2013, one month at a time-A month by month recap of stories that appeared in the Starting Line last year.

By Doug Porter

#1 The Government Shuts Down and Obamacare Stumbles

Today’s UT-San Diego editorial repeats the GOP fantasy that the Affordable Care Act is about to “collapse under its unworkable weight”.  If that’s true, shouldn’t they just let it happen? Could another Democrat get elected for President in the foreseeable future if that’s true?

Today’s paper also features a predictable “poll”.  A plurality says it’s the President’s fault.  The question of whether or not the government should be shut down isn’t even asked.   [Read more…]

New Year, New Health Insurance

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By Lauree Benton

Editor’s Note:  This is a follow up to a previous contribution, “One Woman’s Story:  Why I Will Be Enrolling in the ACA (Obamacare) Marketplace.”

My baby boy has insurance!

I came to that realization just after the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve, ringing in 2014 and all the possibility it brings.

I let out a huge sigh of relief—one so large that it may have improved my posture. I stood up straighter than I had in seven long months. I may have even let out a tear or two. Happy tears. Relieved tears. Tears of a mother who no longer has to worry that little kid’s tendencies toward hurting themselves could send my family into financial chaos.   [Read more…]

Global Warming: How to Kick the Fossil Fuel Habit – Part 2

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By John Lawrence

This series of articles is based on an excellent book by Tom Rand: “Kick the Fossil Fuel Habit– 10 Clean Technologies to Save Our World.”  InPart 1 we dealt with all the possibilities for solar power generation.  In this article we will consider wind.  For centuries wind powered ships and windmills drew water out of the ground.  We are now in a position to reconnect with this form of energy and convert it into electricity.  How it works is very simple:  As the wind blows, enough force is created to spin a turbine which in turn generates electrical energy.  These days a single wind turbine can power a decent sized town.

The US Department of Energy has calculated that wind could generate 15 times the total world energy use.  That’s 15 times all the energy generated by oil, coal and nuclear at the present time.  Even oil magnate T. Boone Pickens has called the US the “Saudi Arabia of wind.”   [Read more…]

The Repackaging of Kevin Faulconer, Wherein Barney Fife Gets Transformed into John Wayne: Looking Back at September 2013

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For the twelve days of Christmas I give you: The madness of 2013, one month at a time-A month by month recap of stories that appeared in the Starting Line last year.

By Doug Porter

#1 Carl DeMaio Obeys Orders

It was a day to remember in San Diego’s political history.  Three high-profile politicians opted to decline the opportunity to enter the contest for the top spot in the eighth largest city in the United States.  That’s like three customers going into a Starbucks paying for a latte with a hundred dollar bill and saying “keep the change”…or a camel passing through the eye of a needle.

…DeMaio deferred to his Congressional ambitions, Todd Gloria said that the job of being interim mayor demanded his full attention and County Supervisor Ron Roberts opted out of the race.   [Read more…]

Extreme Weather Watch: December 2013 – Power Outages, Canceled Flights, Bitter Cold, Freezing Rain

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By John Lawrence

Snow, sleet, freezing rain and extreme cold left millions of people without power in the US, Canada and western Europe. December 2013 was packed full of bitter cold, snowy and icy extremes which resulted in pile-ups on the highways, canceled flights and people trying to survive bitter cold with no heat in their homes.

Winter Storm Cleon produced a significant bout of freezing rain and sleet across the Dallas-Ft. Worth area Dec. 5-6. Freezing rain and sleet accumulations of up to 1.5 inches led to nasty travel conditions. Hundreds of flights were canceled by the icy weather. In addition, more than a quarter million customers were without power in northern Texas.

The first phase of Winter Storm Cleon hammered parts of northeast Minnesota with heavy snow Dec. 2-4. Two Harbors, Michigan took the title as the location that had the most snow from Cleon with a total of 35.6 inches. Just down the road in Duluth, Minnesota, Cleon dumped 23.3 inches of snow. This was the sixth largest three day snowfall total on record in the city.   [Read more…]

Restaurant Review: Pear’s Thai Cuisine

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By Judi Curry

My children frequently do not like to go out to a restaurant with me if they think there is a possibility that I may review that restaurant. However, my youngest, Stephanie, has been touting “Pear’s” restaurant ever since they opened and was time to see what she was talking about.

The restaurant was hard to find. It is one block behind Aero Drive – even though the address is on Aero – and skirts John Montgomery Drive to the north. It is actually off of “Gibbs” street in a small strip mall that is easy to overlook. In spite of the location, I was amazed at the number of people that came to the restaurant to pick up take out orders. In the hour that we were there, I counted 7 take-out orders, plus the walk-ins that actually ate in the restaurant. Perhaps that is because you can order on-line, and they also have a delivery service. The restaurant has six tables, with most seating 4 patrons, although there are two for two people only.   [Read more…]

The Garibaldi Fish and the Barrio Logan Referendum Vote

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Listen to the Garibaldi fish

By Will Falk

Garibaldi fish have a lot to say about the Barrio Logan Referendum Vote.

I learned this the other day snorkeling in La Jolla Cove when a Garibaldi fish attacked me. The fish, named after the Italian freedom fighter Giuseppe Garibaldi, sprang out of thick plants as an orange flash thumping me square between the eyes on my mask.

I swam too close to a Garibaldi fish family nest threatening the babies. Garibaldi fish will attack any predators that may eat their young no matter how large including sharks and humans.

The Garibaldi fish, in his actions and even his name, demonstrates a basic law of life: When an intruder threatens the physical well-being of you and your loved ones, in a home you’ve lived in for generations, you protect your body and the body of your loved ones.   [Read more…]

All Filner, All The Time: Looking Back at August 2013

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 For the twelve days of Christmas I give you: The madness of 2013, one month at a time-A month by month recap of stories that appeared in the Starting Line in the past year.

By Doug Porter

#1 Apologies to John Cleese..

In response to reader requests, I’m doing my best to keep this Filner falderal all in perspective. Not every development in this saga is a screaming headline kinda deal. So I’ll limit my remarks in keeping with what I see is the actual significance of events in yesterday’s San Diego edition of the Monty Python Media Circus. (h/t My Mom)

Ex-Mayor Sanders went on TV to say Filner’s gotta go. It’s bad for business, said the current head of the Chamber of Commerce, citing staffing cutbacks with the local tourism marketing effort.   [Read more…]

USS Ronald Reagan Sailors to Refile Suit For Fukushima Radiation Poisoning

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At least 71 sailors from San Diego-based carrier have reported radiation sickness and will file a lawsuit against Tokyo Electric Power Co.

By Brandon Baker / EcoNews

After U.S. Navy sailors on the USS Ronald Reagan responded to the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan for four days, many returned to the U.S. with thyroid cancer, Leukemia, brain tumors and more.

At least 71 sailors—many in their 20s—reported radiation sickness and will file a lawsuit against Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), which operates the Fukushima Daiichi energy plant.   [Read more…]

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