Through the course of any given week, I come across articles, podcasts, opinion pieces, and videos that I want to share. On this Friday, I give you random gems from the Culture Lust desk.

The City of San Diego is facing another $25-35 million deficit. So, why did the city council approve a plan to sell $185 million in bonds to pay for street repairs?

Members of San Diego county's congressional delegation are lining up on both sides of a health care bill that's up for a House vote in Washington on Sunday.

How would national health care reform impact uninsured residents, and businesses in San Diego? We discuss the debate over the issue that's taking place in Washington, D.C. and San Diego.

Budget cuts in the city of San Diego are beginning to bite for library users this week. Library hours will be cut starting Saturday.

The movie version of Elizabeth Gilbert's mad popular memoir "Eat Pray Love" opens in theaters in August, but the trailer came out yesterday. See it on Culture Lust. Megastar and smiler Julia Roberts plays Gilbert.

A group of state legislators will visit UC San Diego on Saturday to hear how administrators are addressing issues of cultural diversity and intolerance on campus. It's part of a community forum called "Addressing Intolerance in Higher Education."

Military officials spoke at a California senate hearing in San Diego on Friday to discuss how climate change could lead to political instability around the world.

It's been almost seven years since the Cedar Fire ravaged Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. What kind of progress has been made in the efforts to bring the forest back?

The U.S. State Department recently issued a travel warning for all U.S. residents visiting Mexico. What prompted the travel warning, and should all of Baja California be included?

This three-part series highlights the 2009 championship competitions from Barcelona, Spain, Maribor, Slovenia and Aarhus, Denmark and is always a KPBS audience favorite. The standard competitions are comprised of the Waltz, Slow Foxtrot, Tango, Viennese Waltz and Quickstep. The Cha-Cha, Samba, Rumba, Paso Doble and Jive are performed in the Latin competitions. The World Ten features all 10 dances.

Some experts say that though there may in fact be real defects in Toyotas and other cars, it's likely that at least some of the episodes of sudden acceleration that have made the news recently are the product of human error.

This is a definitive look back at how a handful of pioneers deciphered the intricate system of hieroglyphs developed by the Maya. One of the greatest detective stories in all of archaeology, it has never been told in depth on television before. With magnificent footage of Mayan temples and art, this documentary was many years in the making and culminates in the fascinating account of this once magnificent ancient civilization's ingenious method of communication.

Check out this improv piano player on ChatRoulette. He's pretty good, although not sure he makes up for all the creepy encounters with exhibitionists.

In a dramatic, contradictory story, the man who is synonymous with the American wilderness and conservation movement emerges as the man who probably killed more birds than anyone else in history. Energetic, gifted and vain, Audubon was self-taught and self-made, the illegitimate son of a French sea captain and Haitian servant girl. From the Caribbean and the French countryside, he eventually settled in the American south at age 19 and, after failed business efforts and bankruptcy, pursued his true passion - finding, shooting and drawing birds - ultimately realizing his dream of publishing "The Birds of America," the monumental collection of 435 life-size prints, now each fetching more than $100,000 at auction. The National Audubon Society has more than a half-million members today and his legacy is ever relevant.

“Diary of a Wimpy Kid” (opening March 19 throughout San Diego) is based on Jeff Kinney’s successful kids' books but you might want to keep the kids home and have them read the books.

Independent researchers said Friday that restrictions on water deliveries to California's farm belt meant to protect threatened fish can be scientifically justified.

An update on San Diego city finances. Why are we facing another deficit? Could a newly approved bond measure get the Chargers off the hook for their stadium debt?

The U.S. State Department issued a travel warning for three states in Mexico after three people attached to the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez were killed there. Why should we avoid northern Baja California and Tijuana, Rosarito, and Ensenada?

Demonstrators took to the streets of San Diego this week as congress focuses on health care reform. A UCLA study reports one in four Californians under the age of 65 were uninsured in 2009 as a result of the recession and the erosion of employer-based coverage. We discuss the latest in the intense debate over health care legislation.

Hundreds of runners are expected to flock to Rancho Bernardo Community Park Saturday to symbolically complete the jog that slain Poway teen Chelsea King never got to finish.

President Obama speaks Friday at a health care rally in suburban Virginia, part of a final frenzied push before the health care bill comes up for a vote in the House on Sunday.

California state lawmakers will hold a hearing in La Jolla on Friday to talk about the connection between climate change and national security.

“The Bounty Hunter” (opening March 19 throughout San Diego) has already been done before and better. It was called “Midnight Run.” And even that was ripping off other films and could have been better.