Pop-culture trends that are not invited back to 2012

We hope the end of 2011 puts a stop to things like flash mobs, QR codes, chillwave, hipster-hating hipsters and more

By Alex Zaragoza, Dave Maass, Peter Holslin, Kelly Davis, Kinsee Morlan

Sure, self-loathing is kind of cool, and labeling things other than jars is lame. But hipsters need to get over being called hipsters.People finally came up with a way to describe someone who likes indie rock, drinks cheap beer, rides a bike and wears skinny jeans and Ray-Bans.

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Wednesday, December 21,2011
News

Jim Holman's quest to amend California's abortion law

What are the Reader editor’s repeat ballot measures really about?

Does San Diego Reader publisher Jim Holman really want parental-notification made law in California? Opponents believe his real goal is to drain Planned Parenthood’s resources.

Wednesday, December 7,2011
Holiday Gift Guide

From Finnish design to WTF stickies

Seven super gift ideas for the cool, hip and fabulous

By Kelly Davis

To know Scandinavian design is to love it. Products produced by artisans in Sweden, Finland and Norway somehow manage to be cute, elegant and edgy all at the same time.

Wednesday, December 7,2011
Holiday Gift Guide

Six suggestions for classes and cool gift packs

Know someone who wants to make cheese, surfboards or cocktails?

By Kelly Davis

Got a pal who’s into craft cocktails but doesn’t have much of a home bar? Stop by the booze extravaganza that is KnB Wine Cellars, where bottles of liquor fill shelves higher than the eye can see (or, at least, they seem that high).

Wednesday, December 7,2011
Holiday Gift Guide

Skip the mall and hit up these local shopping events

From a Huge Frocking Sale to hip kitchen gadgets

By Kelly Davis

Frock You Vintage holds a holiday-shopping edition of its semi-regular sale, bringing in seven vendors selling recycled, upcycled and repurposed vintage goods. And lots of ugly Christmas sweaters....

Wednesday, December 7,2011
Holiday Gift Guide

Cool presents and where to find 'em

Happy Holi-Chris-Hannu-Kwanzaa. Now let's go shopping

By Kelly Davis

Each year, we scour local retailers for gift ideas that are affordable, useful and fun. This year's Holiday Gift Guide's got three parts for your perusal...

Wednesday, December 7,2011
News

How one man got caught up in California's convoluted sex-offender law

Charles Small was illegally imprisoned for nearly a year

By Kelly Davis

“The inmate seemed quite apprehensive about the interview, the fourth he’d had in a matter of four days,” wrote psychologist Hy Malinek about Small. It was Saturday, March 24, 2007, and Small was set to be released from prison the following day.

Wednesday, November 23,2011
News

The evolution of San Diego's approach to homelessness

The city's finally doing something to get folks off the street. Will it last?

In all, almost 150 people have been helped off the street and into housing in the last year, the result of Project 25 and a second initiative focused on Downtown San Diego. Amid the progress linger two big questions: What’s behind the momentum and is it sustainable?

Wednesday, November 16,2011
News

It’s a gloomy 2012 forecast for progressives

But there’s a slight chance of silver linings at all levels of government

By Dave Maass, Kelly Davis, John R. Lamb

The 2012 campaign cycle will be enervating for liberals as hope has turned to cynicism and begun to shift back into outrage. But lackluster leadership is only one of several problems for the left. There’s doom and gloom on the horizon as the factors converge, like high and low pressure systems, to create a perfect storm for Republicans.

Wednesday, November 2,2011
News

Will a new law solve problem of foreclosure blight in San Diego?

Community advocates say the city’s not going far enough to fix the problem

By Kelly Davis

A study released in June by the Center on Policy Initiatives, a San Diego think tank that focuses on economic- and social-justice issues, estimated that between 2008 and 2012, there will be roughly 57,000 foreclosures in San Diego alone.