Thursday, July 25
For some local teenagers, promiscuous sex is just something to do.
On any night of the week, high school girls, some as young as 14 and 15, wander in to a home in Seaside known as the "Red House" to hang out with the guys who ...
A new summer theater program in Carmel trains young actors to have their stage cake and eat it, too.
Photo: Forward, Troupes- John Farmanesh-Bocca (far right) applauds cast members of Othello and Romeo and Juliet at the close of a previous year''s season. Depending on the point of view, John Farmanesh-Bocca and his young ...
What is the FORA impact fee, and why has it become an obstacle to affordable housing at Fort Ord?
Photo by Randy Tunnell. Photo: A Bridge Too Far- This stretch of Blanco Road crossing the Salinas River will be improved with money from Fort Ord homebuyers, courtesy of the FORA impact fee. Until May, ...
Since returning from Austin, guitarist David Hull has been playing hard.
Photo: Big Time- David Hull and his hardworking band play Sly''s this Saturday. Last week was a busy one for blues guitarist David Hull and his band. The San Jose-based musician recorded a cable access ...
Shockwave gives local kids a safe place to freak out.
Photo by Brett Wilbur. It''s Friday night, and a group of about 50 high schoolers, mostly from Seaside and Monterey, are showing up to the Monterey Fairgrounds for the evening''s entertainment. KDON, the popular Salinas-based ...
The Western Stage mounts a masterful production of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.
Photo by Richard Green. Photo: Blood Brothers- Jeff McGrath (left) and Jim McLean plumb the depths of friendship in Of Mice and Men. The challenges facing anyone who dares mount another production of John Steinbeck''s ...
The Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph E. Stiglitz discusses his book, Globalization and its Discontents.
Q: WHAT''S THE NO. 1 "DISCONTENT"? A: One charge, which has some validity, is that the International Monetary Fund undermines the democratic process, because it dictates policies. When Korea needed money, it was told, "Only ...
In which a reporter learns to sit back and enjoy the ride.
Photo by Randy Tunnell. Photo: Way Laid Back- Like many of their ilk, Eddie Hurt, center, and Ted Carson like to exercise sitting down. It''s as easy as riding a bicycle. In fact, it''s quite ...
A rare show of Brett Weston's sculptures and photographs opens at La Mirada.
Photo Courtesy of Erica Weston. Photo: Dark Shadows: Brett Weston''s 1934 gelatin silver print "Bird Dune, Oceano" (left) provided the inspiration for his 1936 untitled wood sculpture (right). One measure of a great artist is ...
K-19 captures the spirit of the tension-filled submarine flick.
Photo: Lighten Up, Sailor: Harrison Ford plays the unpopular commander of a Soviet nuclear sub in K-19. In the wake of last August''s Russian naval disaster-during which 118 sailors aboard the nuclear submarine Kursk perished ...
It's a big step from high-tech maven to egg farmer, but Susan Brennan wasn't afraid.
Photo by Randy Tunnell. A shower stall full of baby chickens is not necessarily what people have in mind when they hear the phrase "free range." But Susan Brennan, known to many as The Egg ...
Squidfry
CEPHALOPODS OF A FEATHER Squid and ousted water board member RON CHESSHIRE have had their ups and downs over the years, although Squid's not quite sure why. We''ve so much in common-cold-blooded creatures with small ...
Letters
'Citizens' Committee' Is a Sham My most endearing memory of governance in Monterey County is a night in Seaside, when more than 100 citizens braved a torrential rain to participate in the County''s General Plan ...
Monterey City Council will ask the entire Peninsula to consider its move to dissolve water district.
Photo: Dan the No-Water-Board Man: Monterey Mayor Dan Albert is leading the charge to get rid of the water board with an advisory vote in November. On Nov. 5, Peninsula voters will be asked short, ...
The Jesus And Mary Chain 21 Singles (rhino/wb)
At the time of their arrival from Scotland in the middle 80's, this band-the Reid brothers and assorted cohorts, including Primal Scream drummer Bobby Gillespie-were regarded, like their namesakes, as saviors. Not of the human ...
Newsbriefs
FORA Gives Farr a Little In June, Rep. Sam Farr issued a challenge to the Fort Ord Reuse Authority (FORA): increase the availability of affordable housing on Fort Ord or risk losing the transfer of ...
Foodchain
HELP IS ON THE WAY...Everyone in hospitality I talk to here on the Peninsula is racking their brain trying to figure out what to do in the current doldrumatic (don''t look that one up) social ...
Jack London's is the place for pork chops, Scrimshaw Lager and the ballgame.
Photo by Randy Tunnell. Photo: Pub Grub- Chef Jose Ramirez (left) fries it up and hostess Sheryl Brooks dishes it out. Jack London''s is a Carmel locals'' hangout. When I reported that to my friend ...
Asked at The Mucky Duck
Q: Were you sexually active in high school? Do you have regrets? If you were sexually active, did your parents know? FOLLOW UP: How old were you when you lost your virginity? Justin Arthur Student/Marina ...
Hotpicks
thursday 7|25 Topaz and the Gems PACIFIC GROVE FEAST OF LANTERNS America''s Last Hometown has been re-enacting the Blue Willow folk tale of two star-crossed young Japanese lovers since 1905, when town residents paraded through ...
Youth artists from the One Voice program fill county walls with gorgeous murals.
Photo by Randy Tunnell. Photo: Painting the Past- Ryan Sesma (above) puts finishing touches on the MPC mural (below). The colorful mural on the south wall of the Student Activities Center at Monterey Peninsula College, ...
Thursday, July 18
The Monterey Rock & Art Festival is a big family affair.
Photo: The Gun and Doll Show provides sex appeal. The musicians that have played and the people who have attended the five previous Monterey Rock & Art Festivals are a family. Sometimes a dysfunctional and ...
Thirteen-year-old Alex Corning, a two-time champion pony jumper, is on her way to becoming a real horsewoman.
Photo by Randy Tunnell. Several images stand out in my memory of last year''s Pebble Beach Equestrian Classics: a water-smooth rider in the Jumper Derby; a Kennedyesque clan eviscerating their rider''s performance, and then hushing ...
A woman loses her heart to an Arabian stallion.
Photo by Randy Tunnell. There''s a picture of Sir Galant Valntino propped up on my desk. He''s nuzzling my neck, and I''m smiling at him longingly, staring into his big brown eyes. Valntino''s a bay-colored ...
Newsbriefs
Growers Try to Derail General Plan Big campaign spenders want the Board of Supervisors to throw out the 20-year growth plan for Monterey County. Supervisor Lou Calcagno says "absolutely not." At the Supervisors'' first General ...
The stars of poetry slam from up and down the West Coast face off this Saturday and Sunday in Big Sur.
Photo by Larry Welch. Photo: Phi Slamma Jamma- Kitty Petrucelli, "The Rev," and Karen Ladson strut their stuff at a Rubber Chicken night. This Saturday and Sunday, more than a dozen poetry slam teams from ...
The discerning horse lover's guide to footwear.
Accessories are important. Unfortunately, no entrepreneurial designer has come up with a couture handbag for horsewomen. So until that day comes, settle for Hermès scarves and nothing but the best on your feet. Here are ...
Gilbert and Sullivan's most popular opera opens at the Wharf Theater.
Photo: Kimono Kapers- Ko-Ko, Yum-Yum, and the rest seem awfully at ease in the presence of their emperor. The tiny, gem-like Bruce Ariss Wharf Theater sits near the end of Monterey''s Fisherman''s Wharf in an ...
Meet Frank Dibb, ex-cop, part-time balloon man, full-time nice guy.
Photo by Randy Tunnell. Photo: The Balloon Baron-Frank Dibb and his zany balloon creations appear most nights at Chevy''s in Salinas. When Frank Dibb twists, kids watch, wide-eyed. Even adults flash an intrigued eye in ...
Sheila E and the E Train add extra spice to George Benson concert Sunday.
While the name of Grammy-winner George Benson might be music to the ears of smooth jazz fans, the name "Sheila E," on the same bill for a concert at Monterey''s Hyatt Regency on Sunday, may ...
Letters
Bach to Bach Bach Loved your Bach and his blue glasses cover [Bach to the Future, July 11-17]. But to serious Bach Business. Much as I like the harpsichord, Bach''s keyboard music sounds better on ...
A new initiative wants to get everyone in the state to read Grapes of Wrath this summer.
Photo by Randy Tunnell. Photo: Joad for the Road- join the crowd and read Steinbeck this summer. If you''ve never read The Grapes of Wrath, or if your memory of the story of Tom Joad ...
A new Audubon guide turns a walk along the beach into an educational experience.
As one strolls along the Recreational Trail in Pacific Grove or the paths of Point Lobos, watching California sea otters enjoy their evening meal is a moment of calm, nature-bonding bliss. Lying on their backs ...
Sam Mendes' Road to Perdition winds through the Chicago underworld to the complicated hearts of men.
Photo: Arms And the Man- Tom Hanks gets young Tyler Hoechlin''s attention in the new mob movie by the director of American Beauty. That gunshot to the head in the last moments of Sam Mendes'' ...
Senior housing plans spark lawsuit and protests.
Drifting clouds passing over Pacific Grove on Saturday morning July 13, kept the pound of flesh piled on a table in front of the post office from sweating in the sun. The red-and-white mound of ...
Asked of first-time visitors on Cannery Row
Q: What did you know about Monterey before you came here? Is it what you though it would be? FOLLOW UP: How do you like the weather? Is it what you expected? Natasha Kallapali Student/New ...
Congressman says Fort Ord housing plan is still on the table.
Photo by Randy Tunnell. Photo: Land For Peace- Sam Farr says reports that he has abandoned his affordable housing plan are exaggerated. Judging from the local coverage of the flap over affordable housing on Fort ...
Squidfry
CANDIDATE WAVE HITS SEASIDE... Squid hates to be thought of as someone who spreads rumors, but if Squid''s not going to do it, who will? It''s a duty, a curse, a sacred obligation. And so ...
Foodchain
OPEN FOR BUSINESS...Man, is it good to feel warm weather and see hordes of people swarming over the Peninsula again. It''s not like it should be yet, but summer has kicked in. We are definitely ...
Thai Village brings Thai cooking back to Carmel Valley.
Photo by Randy Tunnell. Photo: Lemon Pledge- Thai cooking relies heavily on pungent salads and fresh produce. Carmel Valley, California''s smallest winemaking appellation, is now the home of Thai Village. Yet, in spite of our ...
Thursday, July 11
Reports show damage to fisheries.
Two major ocean reports-one local and one national-were released this week. Neither offers a rosy picture. On July 9, the Ocean Conservancy issued an 80-page document called Health of the Oceans that blames the declining ...
A guide to high Baroque culture on the cheap
One need not necessarily shell out big bucks to enjoy the world-class excellence of the Carmel Bach Festival -many concerts, lectures and master classes are free and open to the general public. A non-profit organization, ...
The Weekly's top 10 BachFest picks.
Photo: Aimee Kreston and Jiang Wang perform in the Candlelight Series on July 27 and August 2. With over a hundred separate performances, choosing which Bach Festival concerts to attend can be daunting. Here is ...
Asked at Dennis the Menace Park in Monterey
Q: If you could play any musical instrument, what would it be and why? FOLLOW UP: What is your favorite piece of classical music? Dale Rose Truck Driver/Scotts Valley A: Drums, because I can''t play ...
A couple of librarians, a handful of volunteers, and a few thousand bucks can bring a kid a long way.
Photo by Randy Tunnell. Photo: Serious Fun- Laura Acevedo-Cabrera makes a card for her mom, using a computer paid for by the Neighborhood Grants Program. Silvestre Montejano doesn''t look the part of an avid library ...
A CSUMB student takes his love of extreme sports to the treetops and beaches.
Photo by Randy Tunnell. Photo: Mass Transit? Kite surfing was too dull, so Bryan Schaeffer devised a new land sport around the concept. Above he tests the kite rigging and, skis secured, takes off down ...
Fifth-graders in Greenfield document their families' histories on video.
Photo courtesy GES Kids'' Films Photo: Precious records-stills from A Day in the Life (above left), Nuestra Ascendencia (above right) and Voices of Chupicuaro Viejo (below) depict Greenfield''s history. Though it''s not so far a ...
Strong grrls and a zillion pop culture references make The Powerpuff Girls Movie a superfilm.
Photo: Wonder Triplets, Activate! Buttercup, Blossom and Bubbles keep the world safe for Hello Kitty backpacks in the anime adventure movie The Powerpuff Girls. I defy viewers to exit theatres post-Puffery without silly grins on ...
Newsbriefs
PG Takes A Pass on Water District Pacific Grove will likely be the only Peninsula city that doesn''t take a vote on abolishing the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District in November. "I don''t think so," ...
Violinist Ida Haendel's first-ever Peninsula performance honors the women who founded the Carmel Bach Festival.
When Hazel Watrous and Dene Denny created the Carmel Bach Festival in 1935, they were contributing to a new understanding of women''s relations to the arts that would gain strength throughout the twentieth century. More ...
Middle East experts debate U.S. plans to invade Iraq.
Photo by Randy Tunnell. Photo: Minds at War-Amed Tarzi (left), who will testify before Congress this week, and Tim McCarthy (right) a former UN weapons inspector in Iraq, confront a perilous world from their offices ...
Housing requirement is not negotiable.
On Friday afternoon, the executive board of the Fort Ord Reuse Authority (FORA) will hold its first meeting since the news last month that Rep. Sam Farr would hold up land transfers until more affordable ...
Eight new releases for the sunniest season.
Photo: The Eyes Have It- Chet Baker, Tom Zé and Gilberto Gil offer three distinct ways to celebrate the season in sound. ELIADES OCHOA ESTOY COMO NUNCA (VIRGIN/YERBABUENA) Eliades Ochoa is the most recent, most ...
Squidfry
ANIMAL NIGHTMARE Whiskers. Claws. Lustrous fur. An unbearable cuteness of being. Sea otters and cats share many traits, but in the great cosmic fight for species supremacy, felix domesticus is beating the Southern Sea Otter ...
Middle East experts debate U.S. plans to invade Iraq.
Photo by Randy Tunnell. Photo: Minds at War-Amed Tarzi (left), who will testify before Congress this week, and Tim McCarthy (right) a former UN weapons inspector in Iraq, confront a perilous world from their offices ...
Foodchain
HAIL TO THE USA...Independence Day-phew, what a relief. Aside from that psycho who picked El Al (armed guards) to prove what an idiot he was, so he could get his wish and go off to ...
With a fresh look, a modern sound and the piano, the Carmel Bach Festival courts a new audience.
Photo: Red Priest. It''s not unusual in California to see four guys hanging out together, strumming their guitars at the beach. But when such a sight is inside a church, and the music is not ...
Letters
Me vs. Everybody Arrgh! My kingdom for a real newspaper around here. Hey, I''m not stupid; I''m not expecting a New York Times or Washington Post, but would it hurt to have a paper whose ...
Fiddler on the Roof tackles poverty, prejudice and the double-edged sword of tradition.
Photo: Reg Huston is a gentle Tevya who sings up a storm in Fiddler on the Roof. ''Tradition!" Tevya, the central character in Fiddler on the Roof, shouts the word out at the top of ...
Local legend Robert Kinkaid's new digs provide plenty of room for his old tricks.
Photo by Randy Tunnell. Photo: New Kid on the Block- Robert Kincaid, chef/owner of The White House, brings his menu to PG. When the word went out that Robert Kincaid, chef/owner of Robert''s Bistro in ...
Thursday, July 4
Viva hosts the last days of Matt Christ.
Photo by Aaron S. Birk Photo: Goner or Gomer? Graphic artist and punk rock screamer Matt Christ bid bitter farewell to Monterey last week. The Punk vs. Metal show last Thursday at Viva was an ...
Best Of The Rest
Photo: Tip-Toe--see how the pretty flowers grow at Earthbound Farms on Saturday. thursday 7|4 Soledad Does the Fourth Soledad starts celebrating early, with a flag-raising at 7:45am. Christina Ripley sings the national anthem. The day ...
A special report
Last summer in Monterey County, we worried that the recession in Silicon Valley would cripple the local tourism industry. This year we worry that bioterrorists will attack our families, or that World War III will ...
Newsbriefs
Greenfield to Gonzalez: Goodbye In a surprise move that even caught some councilmembers off guard, the Greenfield City Council did not renew planning consultant Zak Gonzalez''s contract at its June 18 meeting. Gonzalez was hired ...
Pacific Grove takes on stunning new dimensions from the rooftops.
Photo: "#4 Southwest Holman House," by Michael Kainer In his novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, Victor Hugo uses the vantage point of the great cathedral''s bell-tower to describe Paris as seen by a bird in ...
Two Rodgers and Hammerstein revues should delight fans of musical theater.
Photo: Sing Out-Celebrating the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein at MPC (left) and at the Western Stage (above). There''s a bright golden haze on the meadow. The corn is as high as an elephant''s eyyyyyyyye...After ...
Hotpicks
thursday 7|4 Flagging Spirit INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATIONS It''s a bad day to be a chicken, but a good day to be a human-every city, town, village and wide spot in the road has cooked up ...
Longtime local activists rise again to challenge a nation at war.
Photo by Randy Tunnell. Photo: Everywhere the Signs-peace protesters at Windows on the Bay in Monterey hope their placards stimulate debate among local citizens. Every Sunday from noon to 2pm, a small group of people ...
Developers' plans for Mt.Toro area head to Planning Commission.
Photo by Randy Tunnell. Photo: White Hat- Stan Corda calls a recent citizens'' committee decision to rezone famland near his family''s place "unbelievable." Stan Corda bristles when hopeful developers suggest that ag land in the ...
Charter International School moves into the newly abandoned Larkin Elementary.
Photo by Andrew Scutro. Now empty for summer, Larkin Elementary sits perched on a hill in Monterey overlooking the bay from Watson Street. On Sept. 3, Larkin will be teeming with children, the students of ...
Foodchain
DO UP THE FOURTH... This issue is set for release on July 4th, Independence Day. I am not alone in my worry about the possibility of other terrorist actions on our biggest national holiday. Frankly, ...
Spreckels' Fourth of July is the same now as it was 30 years ago-minus the fireworks and with different hairdos.
Photos courtesy of Lee Smith Photo: Small Is Beautiful-the competition was somewhere between friendly and ferocious at the 1998 Spreckels Water Ball (above). The same year, a band of ruffians crashed the party (below). There''s ...
John Livingstone's adventures abroad in the service of his country make fun reading.
Photo: By Jove- John Livingstone in 1954 as a U.S. intelligence officer in Austria. Carmel war hero, photographer, spy and author John Livingstone has lived through the worst parts of the last century, defended our ...
Do California Impressionists deserve their own appellation? A new exhibit in Monterey says no.
Photo: City Scapes- "Chinatown, Stockton and Clay Streets," by Jules Page (far left) and "The Financial District, Manhattan" by Colin Campbell Cooper, both at the Monterey Museum of Art, illustrate the movement called California Impressionism. ...
Letters
Small is Beautiful Mayor [Dan] Albert was quoted as saying that if the new city hall is "a big ugly building, we are going to hear about it" ["Room of Their Own," June 13-19]. Several ...
Squidfry
MARINA MONGERING Squid's heard a juicy rumor that former mayoral candidate and Measure E champion Ken Gray is tossing his hat in the ring for the Marina council seat vacated by Ila Mettee-McCutchon when she ...
Asked on the Rec Trail in Pacific Grove By Elizabeth Ahrens
Q: Is the United States at war? Follow Up: Will this Independence Day be any different? Bob Feeney Retired/Pacific Grove A: Not to me. I was there when December 7 struck Hawaii. It''s a whole ...
Director Barry Sonnenfeld delivers another fun, lightweight sci-fi comedy in Men in Black II.
Photo: Three Men and A Vast Arsenal of Deadly Weapons-once again, Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith pay a visit to the sleazy weapons-stockpiling alien Tony Shalhoub in Men in Black II. It''s tempting to ...
There's no place like La Villa Taqueria for the best Mexican meal in town.
Photo by Randy Tunnell. Photo: No Tico Taco- La Villa Taqueria''s chef never met a canned food she liked. A couple of Saturdays ago, I invited my friend Steve to drive down from Santa Cruz ...
