Our Columns

Every time I drive by 1590 Coast Walk — the ever-burgeoning behemoth at the juncture of Prospect and Torrey Pines Road — I can only conclude that La Jolla’s motto should be “Build it and you will get away with it.” Of course, I’ve come to the same conclusion over a number of projects built in my own neighborhood.

Those who celebrated the Chinese New Year on Jan. 25 know that this is the Year of the Rat. I couldn’t help but reflect that in La Jolla, it is always the year of the rat. The little buggers really like it here. Qualities attributed to people born in the Year of the Rat (a 12-year Zodiac cycle) include intelligence, charm, ambition, quick wit and practicality. Good qualities all. If you were born in 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 198, 1996, 2008 — you were born in the Year of the Rat.

I think every family has some classic lines that everyone remembers — including and especially the person who often regrets uttering them. Others are just shorthand for favorite family stories that can be resurrected with a single phrase. Here’s a few from our family.

It’s time to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on March 17 with some scrumptious breakfast dishes and drinks inspired by the Emerald Isle.

More and more of us are turning to plant-based diets, whether for health reasons or environmentally-conscious ones. So the hunt is on for protein sources that don’t bleed, yet are satisfying, hearty, tasty and versatile. I broke down last week, and tried a batch of “cheat meat.”

Some folks love to spend a leisurely Sunday morning strolling the stalls of a gourmet farmers market, scoping out seasonal offerings from local growers and purveyors, and feeling like part of the community. A couple of Sundays ago, I joined a group of intrepid foodies in a farmers market trip on steroids — an adventure that began in the state-of-the-art Studio Kitchen, San Diego headquarters of Specialty Produce, the glitterati of fruit and vegetable sellers. There, the first in a series of “Food as Medicine Cooking Classes” was launched by Chef Christina Ng, chair of the Berry Good Food Academy, a non-profit that embarks on benevolent food programs.

While most coronaviruses cause common cold, three have become more dangerous, crossing species to people: the first was SARS CoV in 2003 and the latest to “make the jump” — SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes “Coronavirus Disease 2019” or COVID-19. According to former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb, there was a large, late-season spike in U.S. “flu-like” illness, raising the unsettling possibility that the novel corona virus may have been here earlier than initially thought.

FRONTLINE CANCER: Oncology is going through an immense transformation, like the Internet in the early 1990s, and academia-industry partnerships are playing an increasingly critical role in this revolution.

FRONTLINE CANCER: Some of you may recall what I hope was a heartwarming holiday column about one family, a doctor and their unified hope for a new beginning (in the Dec. 26, 2018 La Jolla Light, “Frontline Cancer : The season for family, health, hope and new beginnings” at lajollalight.com/scott-lippman/cm-ljl-frontline-cancer-jan3-2019-20190102-story.html) I’d like to update you on their journey and share an amazing story of an uncommon partnership in rare disease that has accelerated strategic alliances and rare cancer research, specifically SDH-deficient Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST) research, all in the last three years.

NATURAL LA JOLLA: Last week, I spotted a little furry creature poking out of its burrow in the middle of a manicured lawn — it was a pocket gopher!

NATURAL LA JOLLA: Birding could not be better than at La Jolla Cove right now.

NATURAL LA JOLLA: It was an exceptionally warm fall here in La Jolla, with record high temperatures being observed day after day.