Issues / 1998 / Mar 12
Fact or fiction?
California is still reeling from El Ni¤o-related storms which caused over $400 million worth of damage to homes, businesses and roads throughout the state. But it could have been a lot worse, say long-term weather ...
Ron Unz's "English For the Children" initiative draws fire.
The ballot initiative to dismantle bilingual education in California public schools is just two months old, and already it appears to be the most controversial item of this June''s election. The "English for the Children" ...
Twilight casts an illuminating look at the darkness that lurks behind the bright lights of Hollywood.
At first glance, the new noir thriller Twilight comes across as nothing more than a perfunctory murder mystery with little to recommend beyond its venerable all-star cast. But underneath writer/director Robert Benton >(Kramer vs. Kramer) ...
Conference aims to get locals to participate in long-range regional planning.
A plan for keeping the local economy "sustainable" that has been on the drawing board since last July will have its first chance to go public this Friday at the Sustainable Development Forum for the ...
There's a big difference between what power providers claim and what they do.
Consumer and environmental advocates say aggregation is a way to quickly create a large demand for green power--and, potentially, to shift the nation toward more renewable energy. But experts say that individuals alone buying green ...
Electricity deregulation offers a historic opportunity for communities and consumers--if they take advantage of it.
There''s plenty of bad news about the deregulation of electricity in California. The private utilities have taken control of the process. Big business is poised to get most of the benefits, at the expense of ...
Bilingual Education--Si or No?
Silicon Valley millionaire Ron Unz is sponsoring a ballot initiative, "English for Children," designed to replace bilingual education with a year-long immersion program in English. If passed, the initiative will be enforced within 60 days ...
Young and Young at Heart--Bands on their way up display some fiery and exciting musical chops.
Wow. What a night. Last Friday in Santa Cruz, two guitarists gave peak performances, apropos to their respective genres. First, Will Bernard stepped up to bat with his own compositions which he played to a ...
Deregulation is a bad deal for small consumers--but here's how to make the best of it.
Searching for a new electric service provider (ESP) in California''s soon-to-be-deregulated electrical power market is about as much fun as getting your finger stuck in an outlet. Nearly 270 ESPs have registered with the California ...
In the Coen Brothers' hands, chaos never looked so good.
Few filmmakers could take a plot as thin as the one found in the comedy The Big Lebowski and make it work. But few filmmakers have the imagination and style of Ethan and Joel Coen, ...
Titanic explorer's educational program brings kids into the Monterey Bay.
She was the "unsinkable ship;" this year''s blockbuster movie bearing her name is nominated for 14 Academy Awards. Now, the man who discovered the Titanic''s wreckage 12,000 feet below the surface of the North Atlantic ...
Three open seats in Carmel government leave room for new voices.
When Bob Fischer this winter decided to leave his post on the Carmel City Council after 11 years, he opened a door for an upset in what has been described as one of the most ...
When Will They Ever Learn--KPIG threat, Red Beans and Rice new release, Odetta relives folk scare.
Here we freakin'' go again. The parent company of radio station KPIG 107.5 has apparently decided the station needs a format facelift. Although details have not been worked out, as of press time, New Jersey-based ...
Letters
Real Culprits? Your article on county garbage (Feb. 19) was awful. After reading it twice, I'm still wondering what it was about. The tabloid headline blaming recycling for the landfill problem isn't really explained and ...
Precarious Pursuit
For all of those stalwart souls who choose the restaurant business as a way of life (or perhaps more accurately, who find that the restaurant business has chosen them), the California Restaurant Association has some ...
An insider's guide to getting what you want between your legs.
In 1976, Joe Breeze, founder and owner of Breezer Bikes, and a couple of his friends got bored riding their Schwinn Excelsiors through the paved streets of Marin County, so they came up with an ...
Doggie Do's and Don'ts--The Road To Nowhere
Squid notes with some amusement that just days after the Monterey County Herald ran a lead story in its Sunday paper announcing that CalTrans was "poised to begin work" on the Hatton Canyon Freeway this ...
Wrong Number--Don't get taken by deceptive sales practices offered by the phone company.
Last week, we at Telecommunications International Union (TIU), one of the unions that represents some of the service representatives that you may speak to when you call Pacific Bell, ran an ad in many Bay ...
Raising Standards--Conductor Clark Suttle uses music to establish 'high road.'
Think you know Clark Suttle? Just wait ''til you hear his Concerto for Strings which open the Monterey County Symphony concerts, March 22-24. While the music director of the MCS is a little coy about ...
From The Editorial Desk
Every time you flip a light switch, you're wiring money to some largely faceless corporation. In the past, you didn't have a choice about who was the beneficiary of your electric bill. But, with de-regulation ...
Zig Zag
The side bar on the menu reads "small plates, casual mood, seasonal American food." The other catch phrase that Chef Wendy Little is quick to add is fun. Little was ready to have some fun ...
