A Special Note: Next Tuesday we get to choose who will be the President for the next 4 years. I've been voting for over 50 years, and I—like many others—believe this will be the closest and most consequential Presidential election of our lifetimes. Being in a predominantly "blue state" our votes are not going to tip the balance in either direction. But there is still a vital role we can play! Almost everyone has made up their minds as to who they want to see as the next president. Right now what matters most is getting out the vote. You can help achieve this by signing up for a "text bank" or "phone bank" to encourage people to vote. My wife and I have done both, it's quite easy to do. Just google either "text-bank" or "phone bank" and you will find a website that will help you accomplish this. You can make a difference! But there are also lots of local candidates and ballot issues that matter, so please vote. As John Lewis said, “The vote is precious. It is almost sacred. It is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have in a democracy.” It is our voice and it will determine our destiny as a nation!

On to the local events!

Festivals, celebrations, and community events include: Old Town Día de Los Muertos • Dia de los Muertos San Diego • Escondido Tamale Festival • City Heights Dia de los Muertos • Dia de los Muertos Celebration • Diwali Dhamaka Show.

Music and/or dance performances include: Island Mist • Klezmer Music at La Mesa Library • Lupita Infante • One Hundred Strings • The Latin Dead • Dia De Los Muertos Candlelight Concert • Ana Barbara • Ryan Castro & Blessd • Folk Forward - Seeger, Bartok, and the Border • Opera: La Bohème • Grupo Duelo • Gigi De Lana • La Santa Cecilia • De Colores • Andrés Martín • Nduduzo Makhathini • Mariachi Águila • Navarasa Indian Classical Concert • Bob Marley Tribute • Vox Luminis • Tunes of the Zagros • Los Tigres del Norte • Ballet: Dracula • Sobredosis de Soda • Trio Bohémo • Mikel Erentxun • Noche de Cumbia 6 • Mitchum Yacoub & Divina Jasso.

Interesting talks around town include: Ancient Echoes: 10,000 Years of Beer • First People Presentation • Holocaust Living History Workshop • A Conversation With the Women PeaceMakers • A talk with Lama Lhanang Rinpoche & Mordy Levine • Jewish Presence in 20th Century China • Women and the Transnational Making of Italy.

Film festivals and special movie screenings include: Coronado Island Film Festival • San Diego Asian Film Festival • Beyond the Blue Border • French Film Club Shorts • DGC Video: The Sacrifice • Ristretto Shorts Night 2 • Godzilla vs. Megalon • Encanto: The Sing-Along.

Food and Drink related events include: San Diego Food & Wine Festival • San Diego Naan Festival.

Local theatrical productions include: Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street • FarYad • Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors • El Alebrije • Arctic Siberian Ceremony with Snow Raven • Henry VIII • City Ballet: Dracula.

Visual Arts events include: Native American Art Show • Art Exhibition: Memory Work - The Radical Act of Remembering.

Comedy performances include: Vir Das • La India Yuridia • Margaret Cho  • Ube World.

Other events include: Sugar Skull Workshop • Dia De Los Muertos Pop-Up Exhibition Reception • With You Peru Fundrasier.

Everyone here at the San Diego Participant Observer and the Worldview Project wish you fulfilling, illuminating, and culturally-rich experiences in the days ahead. See you next week!

Kimchi Haemul Soondubu Jjigae