By Sharon Courmousis, Sacred Rocks Reserve

Increase your enjoyment of living

November 30, 2010 (Boulevard)--This is the time of year when we turn our eyes toward celebration. The thesaurus also calls celebration by the words commemoration, festivity, party, gala, observance, and remembrance. Unless a person is a true hermit, it is hard to celebrate by oneself. Some folks have few or far flung families. Some folks feel alone. Others create their own families, their own circle of friends that are like family.

By Walter Davis

November 29, 2010 (San Diego) --According to a recent CNN report, the number of billionaires in this world had nearly tripled since 2000. With Americans losing their homes in record numbers and the Seventh Fleet headed to waters off the coast of Korea, catastrophe is in the air. Our gridlocked government is unable to respond effectively to the needs of Americans.

Tips and Tricks for Business Success and Growth

By Rama Beerfas

November 1, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – It’s a sad, sad story and one that I have heard many times: A company spends anywhere from a few hundred dollars for a local tabletop show to tens of thousands of dollars for a national trade show and ends up with little or nothing to show for it – not even a breakeven on expenses.

By Brian Lafferty

November 12, 2010 (San Diego)--Tony Scott’s last movie, The Taking of Pelham 123, had exciting action and suspense on an immobile subway train hijacked by John Travolta with Denzel Washington trying to stop him. In Unstoppable, we get equally exciting action and suspense on a runaway train loaded with toxic chemicals with Denzel Washington trying to prevent it from careening towards a populated town.

By Brian Lafferty

November 12, 2010 (San Diego) – The Freebie has a simple story, and it runs only seventy-eight minutes, but director Katie Aselton has crafted a movie that is more than mere premise. In addition to having two likeable characters and dialogue that is real, honest and rich, the movie also kept me guessing until the very end.

Nothing but the Truth!

By Will Power

November 16, 2010 (San Diego)--I am officially a geezer on Thanksgiving. So I thought it would be a good idea to think of how being old is a good thing. So here goes! I am thankful:

By Mary Genser
 

November 14, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Hand-made boards provide easy, inexpensive, and customizable ways to brighten up the holiday season for those on your gift-giving list. Whether you need gifts to give—or you’re simply a little bored—get some little boards and have fun!

By Mera Szendro Bok

November 12, 2010 (San Diego)--Haven’t seen your favorite Glee or House episode lately? Your regularly scheduled sports game not airing on FOX this week? This is what Cablevision customers have to deal with as the Fox-Cablevision retransmission dispute rolls on. While you might be hard pressed to find your friends discussing the dynamics of media company rate disputes, they sure as heck know when their favorite show isn’t on.

By Brian Lafferty

November 12, 2010 (San Diego) – At the beginning of Client 9, Eliot Spitzer describes his rise and downfall as a classic Greek story archetype. You have the hero who overcomes all odds and becomes successful. Then he makes a fatal mistake that brings his downfall. What makes this story fascinating is that it isn’t fiction.

“We can’t all be heroes. Some of us have to stand on the curb and clap as they go by.” --Will Rogers

 By Nancy and Dawn Clement

November 5, 2010 (San Diego) - Today’s column is dedicated to our military in East County, and to active duty military and veterans worldwide--especially Dollar-wise Divas’ good friend Katie R. who is serving in Kabul, Afghanistan. Thank you for your service to our country. 

By Dawn Celapino

November 11, 2010 (San Diego's East County)--'Tis the season for cakes, cookies, pies and a lot of food! The average person gains between 7 - 10 pounds from now until the end of the year. Along with the parties, dinners and social events comes the end of daylight savings time. People tend to get more sedate and eat more. Not a good combination!

By Brian Lafferty

November 7, 2010 (San Diego) – Due Date feels like an in-between job for Todd Phillips. His previous film, last year’s The Hangover, is one of the funniest comedies I’ve ever seen and that is not something I say lightly. The sequel is set to release next year. Due Date doesn’t have anywhere near the number of laughs as The Hangover, which I don’t fault; that movie achieved a seemingly impossible feat in which every single gag was not only funny but downright hilarious. But Due Date has enough laughs for me to recommend it.

By Brian Lafferty

November 6, 2010 (San Diego)--I remember following the Valerie Plame scandal. I was astonished when I heard a CIA operative’s name was leaked to the press. I was mad when I learned of the motive and whom it allegedly came from. I was happy when Scooter Libby was convicted. Soon I was beyond outraged when George W. Bush commuted Libby’s sentence. When Bush left office, I could not be any more relieved when he refused to pardon him.

Nothing but the Truth!
 

By Will Power

November 4, 2010 (San Diego)--For those of you that do not think the banking industry makes up the Fourth branch of government- ponder this. The day after the GOP won the house, the Fed announces $600 billion in new loans to banks.

By Brian Lafferty

WARNING: If you have epilepsy or are prone to seizures, do not see this film, as it contains frequent strobe effects.

October 30, 2010 (San Diego)--After seeing Enter the Void, it became clear to me that the newest film by Gaspar Noe is shaping up to be a very divisive movie. It is not for those even remotely squeamish. People either love it or hate it. I went to the screening with three to five other critics and they thought they had seen one of, if not the, worst movies of the year. I felt I saw one of the year’s best.

By Dawn Celapino
 

October 30, 2010 (San Diego) -- Most dogs don't care if it is raining, but some do. Most people do care if it’s, raining but some don't!

Exercising in the rain can be fun and can feel good-- but there are some things you may want to do to make your session safe and enjoyable for you and your dog.

By Nancy and Dawn Clement

October 27, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) - Stan Rodriquez, Kumeyaay Community College instructor, will share ideas about the Kumeyaay lifestyle and their use of plants at an hour-long presentation for the Early San Diego History conference. This family friendly event will be on Saturday, November 6 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. There are activities for kids, music, dancing and theatre skits, fascinating lectures, vaqueros and horses.

By Brian Lafferty

October 23, 2010 (San Diego)--After the hilarious yet powerfully dramatic and tragic Gran Torino and the rousing Invictus, director Clint Eastwood has followed up with the somber and sedate Hereafter, which presented a challenge for my attention span. The movie opens with a spectacular tsunami that nearly takes the life of French journalist Marie LeLay (Cecile De France). For the first hour after this sequence I started getting a little restless, feeling that the film wasn’t delivering anything close to the level of the opening action. But that changed over the next hour and I began to fully appreciate it. It doesn’t rank among Eastwood’s best directorial efforts but it is a good movie that doesn’t have a lot to say about its subject matter but is interesting if you’re willing to listen.

By Brian Lafferty

October 22, 2010 (San Diego)--Conviction has a well-told, if formulaic, story. The acting is OK, although I felt at times Hilary Swank was trying too hard. It somewhat touched me emotionally and I got mad at times, in a good way. However, I cannot recommend it because of its one major flaw: it’s nothing more than big screen television.

This is no trick…treat your children to a free meal at Applebee's

October 22, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) - Applebee’s, a family-friendly restaurant, is offering a treat for parents; kids eat free on Saturday, October 30 and on Sunday, October 31, Halloween.

By Brian Lafferty

October 17, 2010 (San Diego)--Nowhere Boy doesn’t offer anything revelatory about John Lennon but that doesn’t matter. It is easy to go into this movie expecting something extraordinary. But if the film were to take such an approach, it would have been wrong. We know Lennon is a legend but that began as a member of The Beatles. The filmmakers could have made a film about his time with the Fab Four or his relationship with Yoko Ono. But writer Matt Greenhalgh and director Sam Taylor-Wood elect to explore a time in this man’s life that hasn’t really been touched on: his teenage years.

By Brian Lafferty

October 17, 2010 (San Diego)--There isn’t a lot in Red that is original. We get the usual shootouts, chases, and other typical action movie staples. But director Robert Schwentke and screenwriters Jon and Erich Hoeber take what could have been a standard action movie and make it both refreshing and funny. They take scenes that could have been clichés and reinvigorate them by filming and editing them in ways that are both refreshing and surprising.

By Brian Lafferty

October 15, 2010 (San Diego)--I didn’t do great in my Introduction to Political Science class but there was one thing that stuck with me: gerrymandering. In the three and a half years since I’ve taken that class I’ve been surprised that the issue has never come up significantly. This documentary of the same name thoroughly and effectively explores this overlooked but very important subject. As Bill Mundell of Californians for Fair Redistricting put it, “Gerrymandering is America’s best kept secret.”

‘Downzoning’ is actually ‘upzoning’ when it comes to property values

By Billie Jo Jannen

October 15, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) -- The debate over the “downzoning” provisions of the general plan update that is about to be voted on by the board of supervisors has heated up. At issue is quality of life and property values in the backcountry versus the “rights” of developers to build where, when and how much they please. We have been told again and again that our “property rights” are being taken away and our land values are going to tank.

There is abundant proof that there is almost no truth to this claim. We have only to read the studies done in communities that have opted for open space preservation of their rural lands.

By Nancy and Dawn Clement

October 15, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) - Have you ever needed to look up a phone number from your cell phone but do not want to pay the $1.50 - $2.00 cost? There is a free 411 service from Microsoft that you can use and the number is 800-225-5411 or 800-CALL-411. Take a minute right now to program this number into your cell phone directory so you never pay for a 411 call again!

Update:  Chinese and Iraqi hackers also attempted to hack this election, a startling report today reveals.  
By Miriam Raftery

October 11, 2010 (San Diego's East County) -- The U.S. military has cancelled Internet voting for U.S. troops after hackers infiltrated an online election in Washington D.C., playing the University of Michigan “Fight” song on the voting system--and accessing the ability to change votes.

Nothing but the Truth!

By Will Power

October 9, 2010 (San Diego) -- As voters watch scandal after scandal rip apart state and municipal politics. most voters are unaware of the gorilla in the budget- redevelopment. According to the LA Times, “ After the savings and loan scandal, the HUD scandal, the EPA scandal and the Pentagon spending scandal, the next scandal to be uncovered will be the redevelopment scandal in the cities across the nation.”

By Penelope Young Andrade
 

October 9, 2010 (San Diego) -- Are you longing to belong? Most likely, consciously or sub consciously, the answer is yes. As a human your need to belong is hard wired.

“Your guide to financial planning & socially responsible investing”

By: Judith L. Seid, CFP ®
President, Blue Summit Wealth Management

October 5, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) -- We all know that credit cards are useful parts of our technology filled lives. They add flexibility and simplicity to our consumerism driven world, but they can also be dangerous. With the average American now holding four credit cards and one out of every seven people in possession of more than 10 cards it is important to stay current on the laws and regulations that govern their use and affect you.

By Brian Lafferty

October 3, 2010 (San Diego)--You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger features a lot of great actors. Josh Brolin, Naomi Watts, Anthony Hopkins, Freida Pinto and Antonio Banderas make up most of the ensemble cast. It is also written and directed by Woody Allen. But despite all the talent here, the movie did nothing for me because they are all involved in a nonessential movie.