Tag: signs

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 28, 20269:53 pm

We as in You and Me?

T Village of University Heights is undoubtedly a liberal haven—or at least for those who demand to be heard. For all I know (and don’t), Republicans might outnumber Democrats, but you’d never know from the cacophony the liberals make. Their numbers matter less than who makes more demands. They’re a noisy group for sure.

Several overly-liberal areas stand out from others in the neighborhood. Shirley Ann is one street. Panorama Drive is another. Slogan signage tends to be loudest there. Take the Featured Image as an example. (Vitals: f/1.7, ISO 50, 1/200 sec, 23mm (film equivalent); 9:27 a.m. PST, today; Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.)

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 25, 20268:11 pm

And You’re Proud of This?

What exactly does the kid study? “Possessions 101?” “Exorcism Survival?” “Advanced Haunting?” “Geometry of Poltergeists?” “Multiplication of Spiritual Influences?” “Intermediate Demonology?” Does Honor Roll mean the student must be bad to be good? I can understand parents being proud of their do-gooders in Heaven. But Hell? Breakout your goth gear and tattoos.

Today, I happened upon the bumper sticker while walking along Louisiana Street in my San Diego neighborhood of University Heights. The Featured Image comes from Galaxy S25 Ultra, hours after Samsung announced successor S26 Ultra. Preorders can be placed now for the official launch on March 11, 2025.

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 24, 20268:57 pm

Two Signs, Two Political Perspectives

Signs like the one in the Featured Image are sporadically appearing on lawns across my San Diego neighborhood of University Heights. “Don’t poke the bear” at one time applied to Soviet Russia, which if provoked too aggressively could respond by unleashing nuclear weapons.

There’s an appropriateness to its use to describe Communist California. Governor Gavin Newsom, who has aspirations about being the Democrats’ 2028 Presidential candidate, has gone wild with his response to policies advocated by the Donald Trump White House.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 26, 20269:45 pm

A Simple Sentiment

The last week marks a visible atmospheric mood change here in University Heights. For example, some of the more obviously patriotic homes have turned their flying flags upside down, joining this one seen in March of 2025 that hasn’t changed direction. These are people who had appeared to support Donald Trump, but who oppose his administration’s immigration enforcement tactics, among other things.

But there is something else going on locally that has residents complaining and protesting. Earlier this month, San Diego implemented paid parking at Balboa Park, which is widely unpopular among the locals and has dramatically reduced attendance to the destination and the museums within. According to San Diego Union-Tribune, museum attendance is down 20 percent to 50 percent. Annual revenue declines are projected to be between $20 million to $50 million, which is far greater than what the city hoped to generate from paid parking.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 22, 20267:13 pm

Little Library for Justice

This post is not a commentary on immigration enforcement, ICE raids, or the troubles in Minnesota. Emotions are so piqued and polarized, any meaningful discussion seems pointless. I observe that people either oppose or support ICE actions—vehemently, with little middle ground for meaningful discussion.

However, the Featured Image is meant to present passive resistance as manifested in my San Diego neighborhood of University Heights. The sign on the Little Free Library speaks for itself. Look lower left and you will see hanging the last whistle. Half a minute earlier, ahead of me, a woman walking her dog took the second-to-last one.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 24, 20258:50 pm

ICE ICE Baby

Status as a super-sanctuary county, proximity to the Mexican border, and flow of immigrants—whether or not illegal—makes San Diego a target for immigration enforcement and fear of it. ICE raids flash across social media posts faster than raging flood waters. Citizens are quick to protest and news stations nearly as fast to cover arrests as they occur and the aftermath that follows.

The sign in the Featured Image is one of many posted on utility poles in my neighborhood of University Heights and adjacent Hillcrest and North Park. Presumably, they are all over the city. But I haven’t looked far enough to see. Now you know what to do should armed masked men jump out of nondescript vehicles outside your residence or workplace.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 13, 20257:42 pm

What Are You Afraid Of?

Fear appears to be one of the most popular peddled commodities on the planet, currently and has been for some time. Tomorrow, across the United States “No Kings” protests are planned in communities large and small; these folks are afraid of Donald Trump.

U.S. immigrants—and not necessarily illegal ones—are afraid of ICE (Immigration, Customs, and Enforcement) agents. Many federal employees are afraid about losing their jobs or benefits, while receivers of federal funds fear losing them.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 20, 202512:12 pm

An Easter Surprise

In the area of San Diego where we live, a look at most any window can reveal signage—most commonly: BLM, rainbow flag, resist (Trump), and occasionally an upside-down American flag, for example. So, surprise me (and perhaps you): The cross seen in the Featured Image, on April 3, 2024, along Park Blvd, a few blocks from the zoo.

Except for the few churches, I can’t recall ever seeing a cross so brazenly displayed in a neighborhood where people demand what they can get rather than what they can give—like the rainbow house of, ah, worship that claims “Love is Love is all You Need”. Ah, no.

Photo by Joe WilcoxOct 13, 20247:55 pm

To Think You Worry About Illegal Alien Criminals

The sign in the Featured Image speaks for itself: There are other risks around the canyons of San Diego—perhaps more worrisome than foreign troublemakers hiding in them and coming out to assault, rob, or murder the locales. My SoCal county is one of the throughways by which illegals cross into the United States, and they are frequent enough topic on the local news or social media to scare some residents.

But coyotes—and I don’t mean smugglers sneaking immigrants across the border—present problems you might not consider. Sure, residents should keep cats and smaller dogs inside, but these coyotes could carry dynamite or drop anvils from hot-air balloons. Drones are a pitting nuisance, by comparison.

Photo by Joe WilcoxAug 16, 20249:31 pm

That’s Nothing to Brag About

I hope my neighbor doesn’t see this post; no offense is intended, but she surely will be offended. The sentiment expressed in her lawn sign responds to Republican Vice-Presidential candidate JD Vance and comments that he made during a 2021 interview about Democrat “childless cat ladies“. Looking around my neighborhood, dogs would be even more applicable.

San Diego, like most of California, is largely liberal and relatively young. Median age is 35.8 years. I see plenty of couples going about, but rather than push baby carriages or walk with youngsters, the majority pull leashed dogs—often two or three. I loathe the commonly used euphemism “pet parents”, but it punctuates the point Vance tried to make in that interview.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 11, 20249:11 pm

Sound Sentiment

Now that I am (cough, cough) sixty-five, shock and awe rankle me. I always thought of people this age as being old; ancient, really. Now, here I am—one of them. I don’t feel old, but age is apparent from my reflection in the mirror or when walking outside. What seems like a fast pace to me can’t keep up with that of the younger folks; not even close.

Sometime recently, Ron Howard-directed Cocoon came to be available on one of the streaming services. The film released in summer 1985, and I was 25 at the time. I easily identified with the Twenty- and Thirty-something aliens, and I chuckled at the absurdity of the elderly folks hoping to regain some youthful vitality. Gasp. Now I am their age, and that realization caused eerie, queasy emotions while rewatching Cocoon.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 7, 202411:13 pm

Do you Feel…?

You may want to rethink that yes, if the answer. We have come to perilous times, where conspiracies make more sense than commonsense. Take, for example, Joseph Biden’s debate debacle with Donald Trump. An astute observer should have seen Biden’s cognitive decline years ago. I am no expert, and it was obvious to me—and plenty of other folks. Now, post-debate, Biden’s brain, and the continuation of his campaign, are the dominant topics seemingly everywhere. But something smells fishy here—and it ain’t good.

The Commission on Presidential Debates, a nonpartisan organization, is responsible for organizing the face-off between candidates, which typically starts some time following each respective political party’s convention. CPD had scheduled four debates, with the first slated for Sept. 16, 2024, at Texas State University in San Marcos. In a statement, the organization explains that it received a “letter dated May 15, 2024 from Jen O’Malley Dillon, Campaign Chair for the Biden-Harris Campaign, in which the Biden-Harris Campaign informed the Commission that President Biden will not agree to debate under the sponsorship of the Commission during the 2024 general election campaign”. The B-H campaign decided to organize its own debates, and Trump agreed to participate.