Local News

Report: City pension plan costs underestimated by hundreds of millions of dollars

Uh oh! Someone is in trouble. A report will be presented to the San Diego City Council Monday, detailing how financial projections made years ago about the city’s Employees Retirement System underestimated expenses by hundreds of millions of dollars. The report, called the “Study of Plan Experience,” says that demographic assumptions underestimated actual expenses in eight of the last 11 years, with an average shortfall of $21 million.

Regional News

Whales off Calif. coast draw crowds, warning

We all know that littering is environmentally unfriendly, and that practicing it can lead to hefty fines. But did you know you can be fined for whale harassment? That’s right, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary have warned that people must stay 100 yards away from whales coming close to shore or face fines of at least $2,500. A pod of whales has settled unusually close to shore in Santa Cruz, California, drawing crowds, kayakers and boaters eager to get a look at the majestic creatures. The humpback whales have come about a mile from land in search of food, but the U.S. Coast Guard and the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary warn onlookers not to get to close, for both their safety and that of the whales.

National News

Judge blocks graphic cigarette labels

A federal judge has ruled against FDA regulations requiring tobacco companies to exhibit graphic color images depicting the harmful effects of smoking on cigarette packs, including images of rotting teeth, diseased lungs, and dead bodies. The tobacco industry wants the ruling blocked, claiming it unconstitutional.

This issue is tricky—the images may have the potential to deter future generations of smokers (which is a great thing), but still, the case begs the question of a company’s right to represent their product however they so choose. Either way, the images represent the reality of the habit—it’s dangerous for your health! Hopefully, whether or not the cigarette packages display these pictures, people will think twice before lighting up.

World News

Iran used foreign expertise for atom work: diplomats

A U.N. report  that will soon be issued by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will express concern that Iran profited from foreign expertise in developing technology that could be used to build atomic bombs. Western officials suggest it is a case of Iran contacting individuals for this aid, rather than their governments. Iran denies the allegations, insisting that its program is aimed not at developing nuclear arms but at generating electricity so that it can export more oil and gas. Western powers may use the report to push for more sanctions on Iran.

 

“Please do not touch, lean on, or lick the glass,” reads the sign on a glass case of pastries at Elizabethan Desserts. They aren’t kidding! One look at their elaborately decorated cupcakes and you will be saying sayonara to your dietary scruples.

This quaint and charismatic bakery creates the crème de la crème of baked goods. Betty Crocker, who? She has nothing on this place! The problem, at this establishment, won’t be finding something you like, it will be choosing from the plethora of mouth watering and equally adorable options.

Located in the Sunshine Nursery off of Quail Gardens Drive in Encinitas, Elizabethan Desserts has been baking up bliss since 2006. All of their pastries are made from scratch, right down to the peanut butter and marshmallows used for their Peanut Butter Caramel S’mores.  

This place is a sweet tooth’s dream, where spoonfuls of buttercream and creamcheese frosting are ample, and nothing escapes being dipped in chocolate ganache, drizzled in caramel, or topped with darling details (their Mustachio Cupcake is decorated with a miniature chocolate mustache—enough said).

Pies, cookies, bars, scones, muffins, and cupcakes whisper “come hither” from behind glass pastry cases. It’s a siren’s call that will require a will of steel to resist. If you do manage the miracle of walking away without one of their pastries, then we don’t know whether to applaud your immense self-control or feel bad that you’re missing out. Probably the latter.

Whether you are craving Peach Lattice Pie, Mexican Chocolate Brownies, or a taste of Sunshine (a cupcake made of white cake and passionfruit frosting), Elizabethan Desserts will deliver you to pastry paradise (or purgatory, depending on how you view it). You may want to consider bringing a friend. Moral support may be needed to prevent your falling over the baked goods ledge!

Check out Elizabethan Desserts at155 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas, CA 92024, or view it online at http://www.elizabethandesserts.com.

 

In the16th-century, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon searched high and low for a mythical fountain to restore one’s youth.  Culturally, we are still fascinated with the notion of a Fountain of Youth, hidden somewhere amongst cascading waterfalls and dewy meadows.

While many people have mastered the art of remaining lively at heart, no magical spring has surfaced to miraculously cure ageing and its maladies. What has come to light, however, is a plethora of information on how to improve your physical condition and prolong your days here on earth. Here are five surprising tips that will help you live a long, healthy life:

1.   Retail Therapy.

Apparently women who take regular shopping trips are 23 % less likely to die than women who don’t, possibly because shopping provides a distraction from troubles. Women, of course, have known this for ages (which would explain the enormous shoe collections).

2.      Move to Greece.

On the Greek Island of Icaria, almost one in three people will live into their 90s. Apparently the Icarian lifestyle and Mediterranean diet (lots of fruits, vegetables, and olive oil) has helped the island to maintain the highest percentage of nonagenarians (people between the ages of 90-99) in the world.

3.      The Luck of the Apple Bottom.

A study by Oxford University found that women with pronounced derrières are shown to be less likely to suffer from heart and metabolic diseases than less curvaceous women. Sir Mix-A-Lot would be pleased. It turns out that fat stored in this area absorbs harmful fatty acids. So embrace those curves, ladies! They might be extending your life.

4.      Get High.

Ok, we don’t mean like that. It turns out that people who live at higher altitudes tend to live longer and are less likely to die from ischemic heart disease. If you aren’t a regular mountain top-yodeler, try to get to a higher elevation once in a while—take a hike or go skiing!

5.      When You’ve Gotta Go, Squat.

Don’t be embarrassed, now. A fact of life is that we all do “it,” and squatting while taking care of bathroom business has proven to decrease colorectal cancer. 

 

 

Tis’ the jolly season for thanks-giving and gift-getting. We all know how to pound the pumpkin pie and hunt like stealth animals for holiday discounts, but something we are less clever at is organizing an office holiday party. With plenty end-of-the-year tasks to complete and dwindling funds in our wallets, throwing one of these bashes can be a logistical nightmare. But don’t fret friends; we are here to guide you through the merry mayhem. 

There are many reasons to have an office holiday party, among them boosting office morale, strengthening relationships between coworkers, and helping workers feel appreciated. It’s an opportunity to make a business stronger, given that the event is a success. Before endeavoring to battle the beast that is any office party, consider this:

• Budget, Baby

Knowing your budget will help you determine whether your venue will be at the office or an off-site location and whether you can hire people for planning, catering and entertainment.

 

• Who and Wear

Determine who is coming, and perhaps more importantly, what they should be wearing. It is important to indicate whether the party is for employees only, or if they may bring a guest. It is also recommended to provide information on the event’s dress code. Guests will appreciate knowing that their knit sweaters complete with miniature Christmas lights and flying reindeer might look strange next to the rest of the party’s cocktail attire.

• Save the Date

Agree on a convenient date. The holidays often mean commitments to family and friends, endless shopping, school plays, etc., so encourage everyone to be blunt about what works for them. If your staff is relatively small, around 25 people, gather and take a vote. Otherwise, distribute a survey and strive to please the majority. You may want to consider making the party during office hours so it won’t compete with employees’ holiday obligations.

 

• Location, Location, Location

Choose a convenient location to encourage attendance (at the office or nearby, or somewhere well known). If you can swing it financially, renting out a locale like a museum, restaurant, hotel banquet room, or atrium would be a fun environmental change from the office space. Be sure to use caution if you decide to hold the party on a boat, however. People may need to leave (or escape) at different times. If you must stage the shindig at the office, just be sure to stow away any office equipment and supplies beforehand. You want the ambiance to say “winter wonderland,” not “Dunder Mifflin.”

 

• Escape the Office

That being said, decorate! Visit a local flower shop or nursery store for festive floral displays and centerpieces and pick up any other necessary accents at a party store.  Keep the décor nondenominational. You don’t want to offend or exclude anyone, so focus on the holiday season as a theme. You will do well to choose wintry, sparkly, festive décor that is more neutral but still has a celebratory exuberance.

• Tunes and Tricks

Music and entertainment will help you set the mood of the party, whether it is a sophisticated cocktail party or an informal karaoke jamboree. If you aren’t keen on Christmas jingles and fear lifetime embarrassment by karaoke, hiring a vivacious live music band is always a good idea. Music is especially important if dancing is the party’s main entertainment. At the risk of being cheesy, casino-style games, palm readers, cartoonists, hypnotists, and magicians can be hired to amuse guests. These amusements may be a bit hokey, but then again they might just be the push your staff needs to shake off their conservative office manners and have some fun!

 

• Food, Glorious Food

The food doesn’t have to be fancy, but it should be good…really good! Throw tradition to the wind and hire a food cart or catering company to set up a taco or sushi bar, for a fun twist. If you are struggling to stretch your dollars, consider a potluck approach. Just be sure to outline who will bring what item so you don’t get an overload of desserts and no hors d'oeuvres to be found.

• Booze and Behaving Badly

Research shows that unfamiliar environments can cause people to get enebriated faster. So, when you drink in a new place among new people, say, at a holiday party with colleagues, your brain might get caught off-guard, causing you to binge and embarrass yourself in front of your boss. So, if you decide to provide alcohol at your soirée, look out for fellow employees partying too hard. An office party is not the time to be slung over the rim of a wastebasket (unless you are competing in a game of crumpled post-it basketball—in that case, swoosh!), and while most people surely intend to keep their drinking to a minimum, sober drivers should be secured before the event.

 

Local News:

Julian Gets Hiccups as Earthquake Fault Twitches

The small town of Julian has experienced a series of a half-dozen earthquakes in the past week, due to its proximity to the Elsinore Fault.  The fault has been shifting as of late, but good news: the majority of quakes have been miniscule, with many going unnoticed by the general population.  The bad news: The Elsinore Fault has the potential to produce an earthquake measuring between 6.5 and 7.5 on the Richter scale.  The last large earthquake in this area was in 1910 and measured 6.0.

Regional News:

Surfer Recovers After Shark Bite off California Beach

A surfer bitten in the neck by a nine-foot shark off a California beach on Saturday will live to tell the tale, and could leave the hospital mere days after sustaining his injuries. Twenty-seven-year-old Eric Tarantino was surfing with his friends at Marina State Beach in Monterey County that morning when he was attacked. Friends noted that Tarantino was only in the water for ten minutes before the shark bit him on the neck and right forearm, also leaving teeth marks on his red surf board. After his friends helped him to shore, authorities airlifted him to San Jose hospital. Reports maintain that he may leave the hospital as early as Monday.

 

National News:

Three More Victims of Kansas Grain Elevator Blast Found

The bodies of the final three victims of a grain elevator blast that injured two people and killed six were recovered Monday morning in Kansas, a company official said. The search at Barlett Grain Co. facility in Atchinson  was temporarily called off during the weekend because of unstable concrete and hanging steel beams.

The explosion that occurred  is a tragic reminder of the risks workers face inside grain elevators filled with highly combustible grain dust at the end of harvest season.

 

World News:

Palestine Becomes Member of UNESCO

In a historic vote that could cost the agency a fifth of its budget, UNESCO has made Palestine a full member on Monday. This decision is a symbolic victory for the Palestinians, but it alone won’t make Palestine into a state. Many issues like security troubles and other disputes that have prevented Middle East peace for decades remain unresolved.

The U.S. and other oppenents fear  this could harm renewed Mideast peace efforts—lawmakers in the United States had threatened to halt some $80 million in annual funding if Palestinian membership in UNESCO was approved, but it is unclear whether this threat will become a reality. Among the countries that voted “no” to Palestinian membership are the United States, Israel, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Germany. Eighty-one other countries voted affirmatively, including France.

 

 It’s guaranteed to be a very orange weekend (when else do we see so much of this color that, by the way, looks good on no one?), and the Alternative Strategies staff has been researching the ways we can opt to scare ourselves this weekend.  If setting up a 4:30a.m. news segment at the last minute doesn’t scare us, maybe one of these options will:

91X Halloween Boo’s Cruise
http://www.sandiego.org/event/Visitors/12144

The Hornblower’s Boo’s Cruise will be a one of a kind 2.5 hour cruise along the bay in your most flirty, scary, or creative costumes. Enjoy drink specials, a DJ, live bands, and the night’s sure-to-be-over-the-top costume contest. Tickets on sale now at hornblower.com or 619-686-8715: $25 dollars in advance, and $30 at the door.

 

The Scream Zone at the Del Mar Fairgrounds
http://www.thescreamzone.com/

2260 Jimmy Durante Boulevard
Del Mar, California 92014

Scream Zone, which claims to be San Diego’s largest Halloween attraction, hosts its last weekend at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, so come visit the ghoulish attractions before they go six feet under. Three haunted themes guaranteed to scare the skin off visitors, and it is recommended that the kiddies avoid this one. Tickets start from $14.99.

 

LEGOLAND Brick-or-Treat Celebration
http://www.sandiego.org/event/Visitors/9353

1 Legoland Drive
Carlsbad, CA 92008

Fireworks, trick-or-treating, costume contests, and Legos! This Saturday at Legoland, enjoy a fun-filled block-building spectacular, Halloween themed shows and activities. A $25 Party Nights Hopper is valid for same day admission to Legoland California and Sea Life Aquarium between the hours of 5:00p.m. and 9:00p.m. on Brick-or-Treat Party Night dates.

If you have a hankering for a mouthful of something tasty on tap, you might get more than you expected at Karl Strauss Brewing Company. Currently this independent craft brewery is serving up flavorsome pints of Oktoberfest, Big Double Barrel IPA, and Red Trolley Ale, but perhaps even more exciting is the “Mac-On-Tap” menu option.

 

With 6 breweries-slash-restaurants in Southern California, including Downtown San Diego, La Jolla, Sorrento Mesa, Carlsbad, Costa Mesa, and Universal Citywalk, it won’t be difficult for you to share in the mac and cheese love fest taking place at Karl Strauss.

The simplest option, comically dubbed “On Empty,” includes large elbow noodles, crispy parmesan breadcrumb topping, and a menagerie of lust-worthy cheeses like gorgonzola, gruyere, and cheddar. Die-hard mac and cheese lovers will be delighted to find that Karl Strauss didn’t stop at one variation of their beloved dish. Get your money’s worth with a heaping serving of the delicious Piggy Bank, a mac-masterpiece with beer-brined bacon, Black Forest ham, and andouille sausage.

It seems that at Karl Strauss, the mac and cheese philosophy is “gourmet or go home.” Paying homage to the classic form, but with its own unique kick, the elaborate and delectable BBQ Chix Mac and Cheese includes the brewery’s Red Trolley BBQ sauce, grilled chicken, and sautéed red onions. The Dirty Bird incorporates beer mushrooms, blackened chicken, and tomato into the mac and cheese mix. For veggie enthusiasts, Karl Strauss offers the Tree Hugger, loaded with tender broccoli, spinach, and roasted red peppers. Karl Strauss Brewing Company already has a solid reputation for great beer, but their talent for revamping this childhood dish is truly enticing.

 

California is undoubtedly responsible for some of the coolest things around. Barbie Dolls, blue jeans, the boysenberry, white zinfandel wine, the wetsuit, and theme parks are just a few of the sunshine state’s offerings to humankind. In true Californian form, San Diego has made a few wonderfully quirky contributions of its own.

 

1. Holy Guacamole

San Diego County is a virtual green machine, producing over 40 percent of the California avocado crop. This translates into 95 percent of the nation's avocados! Bring on the tortilla chips—that’s a lot of guacamole.

 

2. Fitness Fame

Paving the way for spandex-sporting, neon-wearing fitness gurus everywhere, the Jazzercise movement was created in Carlsbad by Judi Sheppard Missett in 1969. If you thought the days of sweat bands and aerobic dance were long gone, you will be surprised to know that jazzercising is larger now than ever before. There are 7,800 Jazzercise instructor franchisees teaching more than 32,000 classes weekly in all 50 states and 32 countries.  Check out the hotness:

And moving on to something slightly less creepy...

3. An Eerie Abode

Just in time for Halloween! According to the Travel Channel's America's Most Haunted, The Whaley House, in historic Old Town San Diego, is the number one most haunted house in the United States. This home, which is the oldest two-story brick building on the West Coast, was built in 1857 on land that was previously a cemetery and gallows site. The famed author of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Arthur Conan Doyle, visited the house in the 1920's, intrigued by the legends of the ghosts.

4. Building a Better Breakfast

The popular breakfast cereal, Kashi, was founded in San Diego in 1984 by Philip and Gayle Tauber. These cereal sages chose the name of their nutritious product wisely—Kashi has international meanings, such as porridge in Russian, happy in Chinese, and energy in Japanese.

5. Hidden Caves and Freaky Ferns

Located in the Southern half of the Anza Borrego Desert, Arroyo Tapiado is home to some of the most extensive and strange mud cave formations in the world! While the region is well-known, its 22 mud caves are not.  Many caves require detailed maps to find and navigate.  Check out this enticing entrance:

If you aren’t feeling quite as daring but still want a taste of adventure, check out the largest bamboo collection in the US at Quail Gardens in Encinitas. The San Diego Zoo‘s botanical area called Fern  Canyon also hosts 60 foot high tree ferns and staghorn ferns,  which miraculously grow without roots in the soil.