2022

(Trust?) But verify before donating to non-profits

Why Should You Research a Nonprofit Before You Donate? In general, nonprofit organizations exist to further a social cause or provide a public benefit. While many do, some don’t live up to the values and mission they claim. How nonprofits spend their money may be different than what you expect. For instance, ProPublica has reported on how the Red Cross built just six homes after…


Local news is getting creative about building sustainable business models

This article was originally published on Northwestern University’s Medill Local News Initiative website and is republished here with permission. Richland County is nestled smack dab in the middle of north central Ohio. It’s a mostly rural enclave in the center of a state in the heartland of America. Richland is not a wealthy place. The median household income and the percentage of adults with college degrees are…


Dat Punk Timbo interview plan (comics)

(Editor’s note: Mild-mannered student and Escondido t-shirt designer by day, Ricky Fang flies through the cartooned sky at night. He draws girls, cartoon characters and comics. Other than art, he enjoys playing video games, listening to music, taking walks around the block and hanging around with friends. For more of the inimitable Mr. Fang’s DPT and such, check out his work at http://hooksnfangs.com/.) It’s about…


You’re eating microplastics and don’t know it

We’re increasingly aware of how plastic is polluting our environment. Much recent attention has focused on how microplastics – tiny pieces ranging from 5 millimetres down to 100 nanometres in diameter – are filling the seas and working their way into the creatures that live in them. That means these ocean microplastics are entering the food chain and, ultimately, our bodies. But fish and shellfish…


Lots of new California laws ringing in 2023

New California laws taking effect on January 1, 2023 include: Abortion (AB-2223) —  It protects a woman or pregnant person who chooses to end a pregnancy from prosecution, even if the abortion is self-induced or happens outside the medical system. It also abolishes the requirement that coroners investigate stillbirths and protects someone who helps a pregnant person end their pregnancy voluntarily from criminal or civil…


This Tasty Life: Sunny Side Kitchen up

 A few weekends ago Jake, T and I went around North County land for another one of Jake’s chiropractor appointments. This little jaunts up north allow us to explore some unknown territory and with the help of the internet I scoped out a place called Sunny Side Kitchen at Escondido. Sunny Side Kitchen is a super cute little cafe that’s open for breakfast and lunch….


SD County officials want you to be healthy in 2023

San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency officials are encouraging San Diegans to resolve to be healthy in 2023 and get vaccinated against COVID-19 and the flu.  Both viruses are circulating at high levels this winter. Vaccinations offer the best protection against getting ill and both the COVID-19 vaccines and bivalent boosters, as well as the flu shot are widely available at medical providers…


Cal State San Marcos presents its top 2022 stories

As the end of the year approaches, many are already looking ahead to 2023. But before putting the finishing touches on your list of New Year’s resolutions, let’s take a look back at some of the most-talked-about stories of 2022. CSUSM Ranks First in the Nation in Social Mobility SUSM ranks first nationally out of more than 1,400 schools measured in the ninth annual Social Mobility…


Inewsource: SD County ‘screws’ rental relief peeps

Steve has been living in his Encinitas home since 2017. When he moved there, it was advertised as a “beach cottage,” but in reality it’s just a 325-square foot, one-bedroom trailer. The fifty-one year old, who requested inewsource withhold his last name, lives there with his youngest son, who is 12. He settled there after he got the opportunity for his child to live with…


Ray Bong, S. Creamcheese, ‘Competitive Non-Drinking’

About a dozen years ago, my friend Suzy Creamcheese and I discovered the most brutal sporting concept known to the human race, we call it “Competitive Non-Drinking”.  At that time, I smugly informed him that I had made a great achievement– I had gone for two weeks, 14 whole days, without taking a drink of alcohol.  He nonchalantly replied that it had been 20 days…