Monica Turner
Contributor to Stark Insider for tech, the arts and All Things West Coast for over 10 years.
Villa Group talks about Loreto and Baja resort developments on Loreto Live
Villa Group has a large presence in Baja, dating back 25 years. Loni spent some time with Mario Cortes, project director, to get a first hand update on what's happening in Loreto resort development.
It's an informative conversation that covers everything from the roots of Villa Group's beginning in Puerto...
Mustardless no longer! Patrick Kellaher of Mustards Grill explains (Video)
Founded in 1983 by Cindy Pawlcyn Mustards Grill is a famous Napa Valley fixture along highway 29, and an early pioneer in the "farm to table" wave. Earlier this year, a kitchen fire unfortunately caused the restaurant to close.
But rejoice!
Napa will no longer be "mustardless" as of this Friday...
World’s best places to live 2009: What is it about Europe, anyways?
I just read another world's best places to live article. Don't ask me why. I see the headline and feel compelled to click to see where, or if, any of my favorite cities rank. Not that I think these things matter. Every year it seems Europe places more cities...
Top 3 movie twists of all-time
I love a good surprise. It's part of that magical "ahhhhh" movie moment, when you realize what's really going on, and just when you thought you were a step or two ahead of the plot. In the last decade, the art of the "twist" has become a director favorite...
And – Boom! – just like that, the end of the Madden era
A somewhat sad day for me today, hearing the news of football announcing legend John Madden's retirement. He was one of those guys, or icons, that you figured would just go on forever, comfortably filling your family room amid the fall sounds of smacking football players and cheering fans.
I...
Has ‘The Office’ jumped the shark?
The Office has never been known to hold back the punches. But I wonder if this recent storyline — Michael Scott's Jerry Maguire-like manifesto and rival paper start-up — has taken things too far. As a lot of people have been asking on Twitter and Blogs, has The Office jumped...
Even Godzilla likes good wine in Japanese remake of ‘Sideways’
I'm not exactly sure what to make of this. Don't know if it's really news. Or even interesting for that matter. But it does seem quirky. A Japanese remake of the wine movie 'Sideways'? Really?
My first question: why?
And second, which version of Godzilla will the filmmakers use to stomp...
“Greed is Good”
It seems even more fitting today than ever before; the scene where Michael Douglas, in the classic Oliver Stone 80s movie 'Wall Street' showcasing capitalism gone wrong, addresses shareholders with his "Greed is Good" speech. At the time, Wall Street was going through its standard ethical cleansing and soul...
78 Million American baby boomers racing to retirement, look to Mexico for piece of paradise
I suppose this won't come as a surprise to many of the readers of this site; Mexico will continue to be a desirable investment opportunity, despite recent drug violence, for many North American baby boomers.
Did you know there are over 78 million of us boomers at or near retirement?
And...
I hate snakes… I hate ’em!
I recently re-watched Raiders of the Lost Ark, the first in the now epic Indiana Jones serial throwback-style movies from the 1980s. I was curious to see how the film had aged, and wondered if the effects, dialog and tone would hold up almost two decades later.
With Spielberg, you're...
