July 13, 2011 (Campo)--I can vividly describe every one of the four fires that has burned through my property over the past 25 years. Notably, every one was started by someone who doesn’t live here. Causes include burning objects thrown from passing cars and trains, illegal fireworks by drunk Navy men, and border smugglers intent on their own agendas.
Also notable is that my family’s home survived every fire because of our personal efforts -- both costly and time-consuming -- to plan and execute our own defenses. Not a single fire department, including CalFire, has ever managed to arrive at my house before the fires did; the distances are simply too great and the fires too unpredictable.
Error message
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
July 12, 2011 (San Diego) --The charges against Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper, News of the World, have gotten so bad in recent days that people are being arrested and the entire newspaper was shut down. The Murdoch-owned tabloid, already under fire for allegedly hacking thousands of people's phones, reportedly hacked into the voicemail of murdered teenager Milly Dowler, potentially impeding a police investigation and giving her family false hope by deleting voicemails. Reports have also emerged of News of the World allegedly hacking the phones of families of fallen soldiers and the father of a victim of a July 2005 terrorist bombing.
And why should we care about what's happening over there?
Error message
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
July 11, 2011 (Blossom Valley)--This wonderful 1 year old pure Rhodesian Ridgeback female is loving and sweet. She loves to play with other dogs, and bonds closely to her family. She is safe with dogs and people she does not know. Comes when called, sleeps happily in a crate at night. She loves both big and small dogs, and doesn't have aggression towards people or pets. She has not been cat tested.
Error message
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
July 11, 2011 (San Diego)--Capitalism, which is based on the classical economic model of Adam Smith, has morphed into a form of State Socialism, whereby the profits of private corporations are guaranteed by the Full Faith and Credit of the US taxpayers. This has resulted in a huge national debt of $11 trillion and counting.
What's worse, the separation of the US Fed and the US Congress means the financial rules have been fixed. The game is rigged in the favor of Big Banks and Brokers.
Error message
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
July 9, 2011 (San Diego) – The Trip is a Reader’s Digest condensed version of the hit British TV sitcom of the same name. Normally sitcoms and cinema go as well together as peanut butter and mayonnaise. Director Michael Winterbottom reverses this trend with a film that makes a smooth transition from the small screen to the big screen.
Error message
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
July 2, 2011 (La Mesa) –When it came time to review Swami’s Café, East County Magazine found a team of eager volunteers. The menu is too vast and diverse for any single “eater” to assess, so we sent in our ravenous reviewers to sample the fare. Each enjoyed it so much that they went back again—and again!
Error message
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
July 1, 2011 Beethoven is looking for a forever home. He is a neutered 3 year old Dry mouth, smooth coat pure Saint Bernard. He gets along well with other dogs, lives with horses, and loves people. Beethoven knows all his basic obedience and is house broken.
Sampson is a 13 pound 11 month old dachshund mix who loves to run with the big dogs, but cuddles like a little dog. Sampson would be a great dog for anybody who wants a partner to take to dog parks or the beach. He is a fun little guy who loves dogs, kids, and anybody who comes his way.
Error message
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
June 29, 2011 (San Diego)--The US Supreme Court made two important health care rulings last week.
The first ruling was that consumers harmed by the use of a generic drug cannot sue the drug manufacturer. Generic drugs are copies of drugs which are out of patent. This means anybody can manufacture these copycat drugs, and often quality control can become a problem. Another problem is because many of these drugs are made in India or China, issues of counterfeit drugs become an issue.
Error message
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
June 24, 2011 (San Diego) – 3 Backyards tackles one of my favorite movie subjects: A seemingly quaint, picturesque small town that masks a dark undercurrent. This foreboding, unsettling subtext is displayed in the opening title sequence, which is set against an ironic canvas of woods, houses, cats, and hummingbirds,
Error message
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
June 20, 2011 (Boulevard)--We observe at every news show and every news stand headliners about three types of people: victims, predators, and others [counselors, officers of public safety, family and friends]. While ghoulishly fascinated with the horrifying acts of predators, we feel sympathy for the victims. But what is even more important is to feel a burning determination never to be a victim yourself and to learn how to deter the bad guys. We need to make it so by learning strategies to be safer. We need to teach others in our circle of influence.
You can train yourself to be alert at all times to what is going on around you. This training applies to driving, to walking, to parking, to walking into your home, to stepping outside to take out the garbage. People who live in nature and in rural places have an edge on city dwellers because danger can come from one wrong step – like on a rattlesnake.
Error message
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
Simple, easily do-able ways to increase your money management skills
By Nancy Clement
June 24, 2011(La Mesa) - Congratulations to the new 2011 East County college graduates and best wishes for your future! One important thing to think about is even though the job market is not the best right now, it is turning around, you have skills, and talents that only you can contribute--so do not let the negativity you hear, see or read in the media stifle your career goals.Our society needs your creativity and contributions.Remember:“Incredible things happen…when you hold on to your Dreams” Bergsma 1990.
Error message
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
June 1, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – Most companies that have a marketing plan tend to market on a similar type of schedule every year – perhaps they have a winter campaign to kick off the new year, a summer campaign to boost business during the slow season, and a holiday campaign to maximize their share of consumers’ holiday spending.
All that notwithstanding, how about marketing for a different reason altogether? There are thousands of designated observances, commemorations and celebratory days that are just asking to be used as an excuse for marketing.
Error message
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
May 1, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – There’s an old saying that 50% ofa business’ marketing expense is wasted. The question is, which 50% is it?
Admittedly, it can be difficult to track the success of a marketing campaign; even more so given the fact that most micro to mid-size businesses don’t set a specific goal, don’t put a definite call to action and/or don’t develop a metric that will allow them to measure the ROI and/or ROO on a given campaign.
Error message
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
June 20, 2011 (San Diego) – If Henry Jaglom made a movie about a young man’s sexual discoveries the result might have been something like Twelve Thirty. Jaglom didn’t direct it, but it feels like a Jaglom film. It’s talky, self-indulgent, shot with a handheld camera, and is a supposed deep character study. All that's missing are David Proval, Zack Norman, and a liberal use of the zoom lens.
Error message
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
June 18, 2011 (San Diego) – After watching Korkoro I fondly recalled the stories of my Uncle John and “the Gypsies.” When my sisters were little, he would warn them about the Gypsies and how they wouldn’t hesitate to snatch them while they slept. If you left root beer outside, maybe my sisters would have a fighting chance.
If only Korkoro was as interesting as these stories.
Error message
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
June 19, 2011 (San Diego) – I was at a movie theater recently when a friend of the projectionist asked me if I knew any jokes. I leafed through the “books” of my mental library trying to find one but I couldn’t. I was content to let him rattle off a series of jokes and listen. Later that day I remembered a few jokes that I found funny. But even then I wouldn’t have told them.
Error message
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
June 7, 2011 Just about everybody cheats slightly on their taxes. Whether it is failing to report income, fudging on the value of donations to charity, or forgetting to report outside gifts or gratuities, most people lie a bit and get away with it. But Congressmen and Federal Employees should be held to higher levels of honesty. Does that mean a Federal Judge can conveniently forget hundreds of thousands of bucks in income?
Apparently, if you a Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, the answer is "Yes!". Justice Thomas's wife took over six hundred thousand bucks from a Conservative "Foundation" and neglected to report it as income. That is not exactly a "rounding off" error. This man sits on the US Supreme Court! And he did this for five consecutive years!
Error message
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
June 10, 2011 (San Diego) – The Tree of Life isn’t merely a movie. To call it an experience would be putting it mildly. It’s films like this that make me say, “This is why I go to the movies.” Only one other movie elicited such a response from me since I’ve been a film critic and it happened to be the best film of 2010: Gaspar Noe’s Enter the Void.
Error message
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
June 5, 2011 (San Diego) – Most comic book movies that are the first in a franchise feel like a feature-length first act. I had this feeling with X-Men and Spider-Man. They’re good movies but they functioned more like set-ups for X2 and Spider-Man 2, which also delivered the goods better.
Error message
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
June 3, 2011 (San Diego) – Ever since my mother died there have been times when I've imagined my mother’s spirit being around me. I fantasize being able to speak to her, telling her how I feel, asking her what it’s like on the other side.
Error message
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
June 3, 2011 (La Mesa) - Sally Gary is the author of the new $Best Freebies, Bargains, Deals & Steals in San Diego book, 9th Edition. This is a MUST Have book for your home library! Her ideas will enable you to have more fun and to save more money this summer. She generously shared her list of favorite FREE things to do in San Diego. Now you will never be at a loss for what to when out of town company comes to visit you, just open the book and you will find countless, terrific ideas. Enjoy!
Error message
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
Sport gives new meaning to term "Surf Dogs" -- and gives local dogs and their owners a cool way to beat the heat
June 1, 2011 (San Diego) --Whoever said you can only have fun with your dog on land has never tried surfing with their dog. Some dogs don't want any part of it and others LOVE IT!
Error message
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
June 1, 2011, (San Diego) – For over a year and a half I’ve been reviewing theatrical releases. Last month I introduced the Netflix Streaming Pick of the Week, a column that spotlights worthy cinema available on Netflix Watch Instantly.
Error message
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
May 31, 2011 (San Diego) – I have a fear. This fear trumps snakes, spiders, heights, even death. It occurs at parties, especially of the birthday variety. It makes its presence known at the grocery store’s floral department. Despite their light and rubbery nature, they instill trepidation greater than public speaking. I’m talking about globophobia.
Error message
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
May 23, 2011 (San Diego) – Today’s Netflix Streaming Pick of the Week is inspired by this year’s Cannes Film Festival, which wrapped up yesterday. The film world has been abuzz with Cannes fever including, but not limited to, Lars Von Trier’s controversial Hitler remarks and the Palme d’Or going to Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life.
Error message
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
May 20, 2011 (San Diego) – There are terrible bad movies and there are good bad movies. The worst bad movies are devoid of any ambition. Those tend to be the most offensive. With good bad movies, I at least get the sense that the filmmakers tried to make a good movie, even if they didn’t succeed.
Error message
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
May 21, 2011 (San Diego) – Rubber is a portmanteau of the films of Luis Buñuel, David Cronenberg’s Scanners, and the road movie. It requires not only the largest suspension of disbelief but it necessitates putting any attempt at logic back into the furthest reaches of your mind. It is an utterly ridiculous movie but I enjoyed it for exactly that reason.
Error message
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
By Brian Lafferty
Swami’s Café
dogs, but cuddles like a little dog. Sampson would be a great dog for anybody who wants a partner to take to dog parks or the beach. He is a fun little guy who loves dogs, kids, and anybody who comes his way.
By Brian Lafferty
By Sharon Courmousis, Sacred Rocks Reserve
Is Marketing an Expense or an Investment?
By Brian Lafferty
By Brian Lafferty
By Walter Davis
June 7, 2011 Just about everybody cheats slightly on their taxes. Whether it is failing to report income, fudging on the value of donations to charity, or forgetting to report outside gifts or gratuities, most people lie a bit and get away with it. But Congressmen and Federal Employees should be held to higher levels of honesty. Does that mean a Federal Judge can conveniently forget hundreds of thousands of bucks in income?
By Brian Lafferty
By Brian Lafferty
Sport gives new meaning to term "Surf Dogs" -- and gives local dogs and their owners a cool way to beat the heat 
By Miriam Raftery (guest columnist)
By Brian Lafferty
By Brian Lafferty
Recent comments