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POLITICAL WRANGLING – A SHOE-IN RALLY, THROWING STONES, & LAST-MINUTE ENDORSEMENTS

By Buck Shott

June 7, 2010 – With Election Day tomorrow, last-minute endorsements and attacks are rolling out. Here’s a wrap-up on the latest political wrangling on the campaign trail:

 


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DOLLAR-WISE DIVAS: JUNE’’S BEST BUYS

 

Share creative ideas to assist people of all ages with tips to save money and improve their lifestyle!

 

By Nancy and Dawn Clement

June 4, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Summer has unofficially begun--and the best food buys are perfect for summer entertaining. So plan to purchase now to be prepared to take advantage of savings and be ready for summer visitors. Plus check for deals on items for school, home and office.

 


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LEFT HOOK: FORGETTING LESSONS LEARNED

By Walter Davis

May 31, 2010 (San Diego) -- Heidi looks over the green grass at the United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, North Dakota. She remembers how her parents were shipped here with her from California and put into an internment camp with other German American citizens. Italian Americans and Japanese Americans were held as well. German American citizens who played German music during World War II could be turned in by their neighbors, arrested and shipped away from their families to internment camps. They could be charged with being dangerous aliens. Some have never been seen again.

Arab Americans and Latin Americans are facing this same kind of injustice today.


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WILL POWER REPORT: IN MEMORIAM

Nothing but the Truth!

By Will Power

 

 May 31, 2010 (San Diego) -- On Memorial Day we pay tribute to those brave souls who risk life and limb that we may live in a free, democratic society. But those who serve often sacrifice more than life and limb.


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ADVICE FROM THE PURPLE MOUNTAIN SAGE: UNSTUFFING

 

by: Sharon Courmousis, Sacred Rocks Reserve

Increase your enjoyment of living

 “We are not cisterns made for hoarding, we are channels made for sharing.” -- Billy Graham
 

Unstuffing

 

Cooler weather and wild storms have caused spring to come later this year. Signs of spring for me are seen in the plants and animals around Sacred Rocks. The Yucca plants, like huge asparagus, are popping up all over the mountains. I photographed peachy blossoms, pinkish with deep purple at the outside edges -- one I saw was a brilliant eggplant color. Astonishing beauty without human intervention, a gift.


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THE WILL POWER REPORT: WHY USE OF CHEMICAL DISPERSANTS IS A BAD IDEA


Nothing but the Truth!

 

By Will Power

 

May 28, 2010 (San Diego) -- The Deepwater Horizon oil spill was a tragedy, but the British Petroleum response could be Armageddon for the Gulf of Mexico. Oil is toxic enough, but the tons of chemical dispersants can be five times worse.


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THE WILL POWER REPORT: HIGH FREQUENCY TRADING

 

Nothing but the Truth!

By Will Power

 

May 25, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Earlier this month, the U.S. Stock Market burped big-time, sending blue-chips down to pennies a share for several minutes, while computers throughout the world strained to keep up. Within hours, millions of paper losses and gains were recorded, and then the market stabilized. Nobody knows what caused the sudden shock. But the profits and losses were substantial, and in fact many of the trades are now being nullified by the SEC. The trades are being voided because they were outside parameters set up by the SEC. You can hear the howls of pain from brokers in Tierra Del Fuego.


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: "SHREK FOREVER AFTER" AN UNHAPPY ENDING TO ILLUSTRIOUS FRANCHISE

 

By Brian Lafferty

May 22, 2010 (San Diego)--In 2001 Dreamworks released Shrek. Based on a children’s book, the movie was an inventive, clever, and witty satire of fairy tales. It was a huge hit and spawned three sequels, the last of which being Shrek Forever After.

 


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WILL POWER REPORT: LIAR'S POKER


Nothing but the Truth!

May 20, 2010 (San Diego) -- The Annual California Budget Mess has started -again! Arnold "Terminator" Swartzenegger has proposed a budget which guts welfare, healthcare. and schools, and aid to the mentally ill. Swartzenegger refuses to tax Big Oil, while California Republicans continue to block a Democratic budget reform which might actually tax businesses. A 10% oil severance tax, which California refuses (unlike all other US states), would easily pay for many of these cuts in state service.

 

California has been unable to pass a budget for years, thanks to a "Minority Rules" quirk in the State Constitution. Under current rules, a small minority of Republicans is able to block a budget which needs a 2/3 vote to pass new taxes or reform the Governor's Budget.


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PEARLS: NINETY-THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS

 

By Charlavan Baker Hart

May 20, 2010 (El Cajon) -- It looks like this $93,000. That is a nine, a three and three zeros!

 

It is also the cost of a drug just approved by the FDA for terminal prostate cancer patients.


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WILL POWER REPORT: ROCK & HARD PLACE--MINERALS MANAGEMENT AGENCY


Nothing but the truth!

By Will Power

May 14, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) -- In the alphabet soup that makes up the Federal Government, few people have ever heard of the Minerals Management Service. But the MMS is well known to oil company executives, because for years it has operated as a sleeping watchdog while billions of dollars in taxpayer's money was pumped out the back door.


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: "ROBIN HOOD" LESS THAN MERRY

 

By Brian Lafferty

May 14, 2010 (San Diego) -- Robin Hood is the year’s first big disappointment, considering the people involved in making it. Directed by Ridley Scott, it stars Russell Crowe as the title character and fine actress Cate Blanchett as Maid Marian. As always, Scott demonstrates his ability as one of the most visual directors out there today, teeming with expertly crafted shots that nearly give the film an epic feel. Crowe and Blanchett do not disappoint in the acting department. It is not a bad movie by any means but rather aggressively unsatisfying; to paraphrase Sean Connery from the 1976 film Robin and Marian, (a better film than this incarnation) instead of getting red meat I wound up settling for only bread and cheese.

 


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DOLLAR-WISE DIVAS: SAVE MONEY! MAY’S BARGAINS AND BEST BUYS


Share creative ideas to assist people of all ages with tips to save money and improve their lifestyle!

 

By Nancy and Dawn Clement


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POLITICAL WRANGLING: VULTURES, SHEEP & PORK BARREL POLITICS ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

 

By Buck Shott

May11, 2010 – This week, we bring you a ringside seat for the latest political knock-down, drag-out fights in state and local races.

 

MISSING IN ACTION: Ballot statements have been published for the June primary—but one local candidate’s statement is conspicuously absent.


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: "IRON MAN 2" A MOVIE OF STEEL DESPITE SCRIPT FLAWS

By Brian Lafferty

May 6, 2010 (San Diego)--When I saw Iron Man two years ago, I left the theater feeling it was a great movie but functioned more like a set-up for a better and bigger story. It raised my expectations for the sequel, which is out in theaters today. Iron Man 2 is bigger and better but not by much; it suffers from two major story flaws. Yet, I walked out of the theater feeling much more satisfied because everything that did work more than made up for what didn't.

 


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LEFT HOOK: DEADLOCKED GOVERNMENT

 

As the Country Suffers, Leadership Fails
 

 

By Walter Davis

 


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: "ELM STREET" WORKS AS RE-IMAGINING, NOT REMAKE

 

By Brian Lafferty

April 30, 2010 (San Diego's East County) -- Re-imagining a classic movie like A Nightmare on Elm Street is very risky, primarily because there will be constant comparisons to the original. Wes Craven’s 1984 masterpiece has garnered a spot in the pantheon of horror films and spawned numerous sequels with varying degrees of quality. I happily report, however, that the reboot, directed by music video director Samuel Bayer, is a solid piece of filmmaking.

 


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: "THE LOSERS" ANYTHING BUT A WINNER

 

By Brian Lafferty

April 23, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) -- The Losers is an action movie that had no effect on me except for making my eyes glaze over. It stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan (The Watchmen, TV’s Supernatural) and Zoe Saldana. There are moments of great inventiveness, which include grabbing an armored car using a magnet attached to a chopper…taking place in broad daylight in front of downtown commuter traffic. The problem? This film is nothing special. I just didn’t care.

 


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DOLLAR-WISE DIVAS: SAVE MONEY! APRIL’S BARGAINS AND BEST BUYS

 

Share creative ideas to assist people of all ages with tips to save money and improve their lifestyle!

By Nancy and Dawn Clement


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: "KICK-ASS" A UNIQUE TAKE ON THE SUPERHERO GENRE

 

By Brian Lafferty

April 16, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) -- Kick-Ass is not your typical superhero. He doesn’t have any special powers and he lacks strength. His costume is a garish green wet suit with yellow stripes. He is deathly afraid of heights. This movie is one of the more interesting of its kind: an existential portrait of a tortured superhero.

 


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: ALL-STAR CAST PROVIDES HEARTY LAUGHS IN "DEATH AT A FUNERAL"

 

By Brian Lafferty

April 16, 2010 (San Diego's East County) -- As I walked out of the theater after watching Death at a Funeral, I was reminded of something the great director Howard Hawks once said about what makes a good movie: three great scenes, no bad ones. There are three hilarious, uproarious scenes which had me literally gasping for air from laughing so hard. At the same time, there was not a single scene that didn't work.

 


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WILL POWER REPORT: PAPAL INFALLABILITY

Nothing but the Truth!
 

April 12, 2010 (San Diego) -- Generally, I don't write too much about religion. I always felt it was none of my business. When Descartes answered the argument "Is there a God?" with "Why not?", I agreed. But the mumbo-jumbo and dogma accompanying most "organized" religion has nothing to do with morality.


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: "THE RUNAWAYS" ROCKS AND ROLLS

 

By Brian Lafferty

April 9, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) -- Watching The Runaways was like going to a fun party; you have the time of your life before you spend the next day recovering. The energy this movie generated resulted in a nonstop simultaneous feeling of euphoria and heartbreak. It is a rollercoaster of a movie, one that constantly engaged me on an emotional level. It is a film that will stay with me for a long time.


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ADVICE FROM THE PURPLE MOUNTAIN SAGE: FIND YOUR INNER AVATAR

 


Increase your enjoyment of living

 

By Sharon Courmousis Sacred Rocks Reserve

“Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.” ~ Kahlil Gibran

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.” ~ John Muir


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LEFT HOOK: EUGENE DAVIDOVICH ACQUITTED

 

Wasteful and mean policies of the right

By Walter Davis

April 11, 2010 (San Diego) -- Eugene Davidovich was acquitted last month of all charges along with most of the other citizens arrested in Operation Green RX. As reported, only one citizen, Donna Lambert remains within the clutches of the District Attorney. Operation Green RX was a misguided arrest sweep of people authorized to use medical marijuana. It has now become a national embarrassment to our local government.


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: "TITANS" BENEFITS FROM EQUAL BALANCE OF ACTION AND STORY

 

By Brian Lafferty

April 2, 2010 (San Diego's East County)--Clash of the Titans is the newest in a seemingly neverending long line of Hollywood remakes. Directed by Louis Leterrier (director of The Incredible Hulk two years ago) it is a splendid remake of the 1981 classic of the same name. That movie starred future L.A. Law actor Harry Hamlin and was the last to feature special effects master Ray Harryhausen’s famous stop-motion animation. This time Perseus is played by Sam Worthington, coming off of last year’s megahit Avatar.  The stop-motion has been replaced with CGI.

 


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: DESPITE BAREBONES SCRIPT "THE LAST SONG" HAS ITS STRENGTHS

 

By Brian Lafferty

April 2, 2010 (San Diego's East County)--The Last Song is one of those films I call a “Hit and Miss” picture. Movies that fall under this category typically have as many elements that work as those that don’t. One scene may be wonderful, the next may be forgettable. Some characters are great and some are not so desirable. This is basically how The Last Song works. It is not a bad movie but it isn’t great, either.

 


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DOLLAR-WISE DIVAS: SAVE MONEY! MAKE YOUR OWN SPRING CLEANING PRODUCTS



Share creative ideas to assist people of all ages with tips to save money and improve their lifestyle!

By Nancy and Dawn Clement

 

March 30, 2010 - San Diego's East County - Spring is here-- and what a colorful, vibrant springtime we are experiencing due to this winter's rains. Trees and flowers are blooming, birds are singing and building nests, and many of us experience a desire to be outdoors enjoying the springtime beauty. Spring is also a great time to freshen up your home. If you have a hankering to do some spring cleaning, here are some ideas and tips to help you save money on household cleaning products.


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NEW COLUMN! CITIZENS’ PARK REVIEW: STELZER PARK, LAKESIDE


PARK: Louis Stelzer County Park
LOCATION: 11470 Wildcat Canyon Rd Lakeside, CA 92040

OVERALL RATING: 5 OAK TREES

 

By Dennis and Trever Richardson

March 29, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) -- This secluded park has a family-friendly environment with an educational orientation directed at teaching school children about local wildlife. The park prides itself on education, utilizing its proximity to the outdoors to teach children. Inside the visitor’s center, the park offers views of all types of snakes in enclosures and local plants categorized on the walls.

Stelzer Park recently won the ‘Parents Pick Stelzer Park as County's Best’ award for its great efforts to provide activities and education to children. It is also clean and orderly, with friendly staff who will answer any of your questions with facts and personal stories related to the subject. It is no wonder the park is so popular!


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: "HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON" FIRES ON ALL CYLINDERS

 

By Brian Lafferty

March 26, 2010 (San Diego's East County) -- After I saw Avatar back in December, I was sure of one thing: there is no longer any excuse for filmmakers to skimp on 3D. Avatar, for me, established several precedents when it comes to the quality of these movies. It demonstrated that a 3D flick can have outstanding image quality, that the medium is best when used to increase depth, and that it can really make you feel like a part of the movie’s world. How to Train Your Dragon, the newest animated feature from Dreamworks, grasps these three notions. The result is a fantastic cinematic experience for both adults and kids alike.

 


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