La Jolla Light
Enlightening La Jolla Since 1913
Vol. 100 Issue 2 • January 12, 2012
Conference scientists warn of extreme weather, A12
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID SAN DIEGO, CA PERMIT NO. 1980
Such A Fowl Stench
INSIDE
Scott Peters talks about his candidacy for Congress, A8
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Merchants, residents cry for clean-up By Dave Schwab he smell from hell is where La Jollans dwell. Which is why there’s a public outcry from those tired of holding their noses downwind of the Cove to find a way to curb the odor problem at one of La Jolla’s most notable landmarks and tourist attractions. “Some days it’s just sickening — it can be just devastating,” said longtime La Jollan Melinda Merryweather, who attributes the stench, in part, to a Cove fence denying human access to cliff rocks, which has allowed birds to nest and excrete there freely. “It’s stinky,” agreed restaurateur George Hauer, owner of George’s at the Cove. “Anybody who says it doesn’t smell is not in the neighborhood. It is so prominent, every time when the wind shifts and everybody goes … it’s not something
T
This photo taken Jan. 3 captures the cormorants, pelicans and Western gulls at the scene of the crime. Dave Schwab
What a Waste! n Unlike mammals, birds have no bladder because they do not store liquid wastes. Birds pass their urine into a common chamber used for digestive and urinary wastes. This chamber, called the cloaca, also contains reproductive by-products. So, when a bird lets go with a “bomb” it contains white uric acid
crystals and a bunch of digestive wastes like insect parts and seeds. n Their high metabolism rate makes birds go often, driving you crazy with their ever-accumulating mess. In fact, an average small bird might have from 25 to 50 movements a day.
n If the bird is a seed-eater its feces will likely be a firm greenish or brown color while the “urine” portion will be that white, pasty mess. A seed-eating bird may digest its food in under three hours. — Rick Steinau, Ask the Exterminator
See Stench, A4
LJHS water polo has high hopes, A20
Museums court younger patrons, B1
Video gamers gather at UCSD for tournament this weekend It’s time to get your game on. The eighth annual Winter Game Fest at UCSD, one of the largest free video game festivals in Southern California, has grown even bigger –– expanding from two days to three, Jan. 13-15. This year, the tournament, which is open to the public, is expected to have more than 2,000 videogame enthusiasts with more games, sponsors, prizes and fun. The event is one of the largest festivals of-its-kind, organized entirely by students. “We want a record number of gamers who will get the opportunity
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to win prizes at this free and fun event,” said Josh Stolze, director of the Sixth College Tech Committee. Winter Game Fest 2012 will feature the latest videogame equipment and technology and one of the largest Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. tournaments on the West Coast. Other tournament games include “Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty,” “League of Legends, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3,” “Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition,” and “Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition.” Almost 70 TVs, 50 consoles and
If you go n What: 8th annual Winter Game Fest n When: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday-Sunday n Where: Price Center ballrooms UCSD campus n Admission: Free n Website: sctechcomm.org 100 free-play games, such as Mario Kart and Duck Hunt will be featured. This year’s sponsors, which include
Intel, Blizzard, Microsoft, Pop Chips and FanBoyGaming.com, will give away $7,000 in prizes.
Janice Sedloff - Home Mortgage Consultant Office: 858-454-7572 · Cell: 619-306-6669 janice.sedloff@wellsfargo.com NMLSR I.D. #450876 Wells Fargo Mortgage is a division of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. © 2011 Wells Fargo Bank N.A. All rights reserved. NMLSR ID 399801. Equal Housing Lender. AS558181 3/11-6/11