By Miriam Raftery

September 19, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – Author H. Jackson Brown once observed that “Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking.” 

Now a video shot secretly during a fundraiser for Mitt Romney with wealthy donors is sparking controversy over his apparent insensitivity to nearly half of the American people. In the video, which Romney admits is authentic, the presidential candidate is seen insulting Americans who receive any form of public assistance—including recipients of Social Security and Medicare, as well as military veterans, students, the disabled and the poor.  He also slammed those who pay no taxes—from retirees to some of his own wealthy patrons.

His remarks have drawn sharp criticisms even from many conservative Republican commentators.

September 18, 2012 (Lemon Grove)  -- The Lemon Grove Historical Society is sponsoring a Big BBQ Party in Civic Center Park, 3200 Main Street, Lemon Grove on  September 29 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.  The event will feature West Texas Barbecue from Coop’s, music by Two Guys Will Move U, and demonstrations from Apollo Stables, face painting and much more.

Events feature discounts on low-water-use plants in time for fall planting season

September 18, 2012 (San Diego County) -- The San Diego County Water Authority, its member agencies and The Home Depot have teamed up for a series of San Diego County garden-friendly plant fairs this fall, which is the most successful planting season for drought tolerant plants.

September 18, 2012 (Santee) --  A man is dead after jumping off a bridge over westbound State Route 52 near Mast Boulevard in Santee, CHP's webpage confirms.  The freeway is closed and the Medical Examiner has been called to the scene.

September 19, 2012 (La Mesa) – A 16-year-old girl was robbed in the Spring Street Trolley Station, 4250 Spring Street, on September 17 at 6:47 p.m. According to La Mesa Police, the victim was in the parking lot near the bus stop when she saw the suspect. She walked away to the opposite side of the lot, but the suspect approached and grabbed for her purse on her shoulder. The victim began hitting the suspect with her cell phone, trying break away. He grabbed her cell phone and ran downstairs towards Spring Street.

September 17, 2012 (El Cajon) – Under darkening clouds of economic uncertainty, the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District Governing Board battened down the hatches Tuesday, September 11, passing a $150.4 million budget that prepares the district to weather the storm, should Proposition 30 – the governor’s tax measure – fall short in the November election.

September 15, 2012 (La Mesa)--The League of Women Voters will sponsor and moderate a candidate forum for La Mesa City Council candidates in the 2012 election. The forum will be held on September 27 from 7 to 9 pm at the La Mesa City Council Chamber.

By Mark Gabrish Conlan

September 17, 2012 (San Diego) – Well, now we know. The 2012 Presidential election won’t just be between incumbent Democrat Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney, but between two starkly different philosophies not only of politics, or how to revive the economy and preserve the capitalist system, but also of life itself and what it means to be human. It won’t be a serious debate over how much government the American people want, or how they propose to pay for it. Nor will it really be about the budget deficit or the national debt, however much Republicans — especially their vice-presidential candidate, Congressmember Paul Ryan —might claim the moral high ground on that issue even though their giveaway tax cuts to the ultra-rich will actually make the national debt bigger, not smaller.

September 19, 2012 (Columbia, Mo.) – The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can contain dozens of different mutations, called polymorphisms. In a recent study an international team of researchers, including MU scientists, found that one of those mutations, called 172K, made certain forms of the virus more susceptible to treatment. Soon, doctors will be able to use this knowledge to improve the drug regimen they prescribe to HIV-infected individuals.

The Truth about Firearms, the Criminal Justice System, and You:  What Every Gun Owner Should Know About being Falsely Accused

According to Michelle Gesse, author of Bogus Allegations, being a gun owner puts you at increased risk for being falsely accused of a crime. (She should know—it happened to her husband!) Here, she shares what you should know about being falsely accused, and what you can do to protect yourself.

September 17, 2012 (Boulder, CO)—If you own a gun and consider yourself to be an upstanding, law-abiding citizen, you probably haven’t given much thought to being targeted or profiled because you own firearms. After all, as long as they’re legal and you don’t use them inappropriately, you have nothing to fear, right?

Proceeds help fund special programs for San Diegans in need of hospice care

September 16, 2012 (San Diego) – The LightBridge Hospice Community Foundation, a non-profit organization that fulfills special requests from hospice patients and their loved ones, will host its 4th annual Remembrance Walk on Sunday, September 23 at Liberty Station.

By Mark Gabrish Conlan

September 21, 2012 (San Diego)--I probably could have gone through my life blissfully unaware of the existence of a scrap of film called Innocence of Muslims — a.k.a. Innocence of Bin Laden, a.k.a. Desert Warriors — if the U.S. ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens, and three other U.S. Embassy staff members hadn’t been killed in an attack allegedly inspired by a YouTube trailer for this movie. It’s a film almost no one has seen — and that includes the attackers in Libya and the mobs who stormed the U.S. Embassy in Egypt — but that hasn’t stopped either the protesters against the film or the mystery people who made it, who appear to be  members of the Copts, an Egyptian Christian sect who lost their protector when Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was driven from power and now fear both official discrimination and private retribution.

Find inspiration, savor a fresh foods buffet, and learn the latest in sustainability

By Walt Meyer

September 16, 2012 (Lakeside)--At Heartland Coalition/UnitedGREEN's  Forging a Sustainable Future event at San Diego State University in March, keynote speaker Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shared the importance of changing how we all live in light of the global climate crisis. But as has been said many times, all global change starts with local action--and there has never been a better time to take steps for real change. Toward that end, Heartland Coalition’s UnitedGREEN division is producing a series of customized Forging a Sustainable Future Solutions events to advance its mission of transforming the San Diego region.

The first FSFS event will be “Living Green at Blue Sky Ranch” on September 29 from 3-6:30 p.m. Exhibits and experts will explain permaculture, wildfire protection, Community Supported Agriculture, grey water, water catchment, organic farming and gardening, and other aspects of this self-sustaining community in Lakeside. The aim is to encourage others to emulate techniques used at Blue Sky Ranch (BSR) and invite people to showcase their innovations on the property. Early bird rates of $20 have been extended; at the door rates are $35/person or $60/couple.