Last Friday? Moi? Oh, just hopped a Phenom 100 to Santa Monica to learn about the new company AgileJet, straight ballin’. Founder Patrick Ingram’s latest creation takes C-level Execs up in the air to understand how Agile, a competitive advantage framework, enables organizations to deliver business value sooner. From the boardroom to the runway to drinks at Loew’s Beach Hotel, Patrick schooled us on the concept of Agile. Brilliant really. Patrick has been transforming one of the world’s top 10 banks and the world’s oldest insurance market by having them adopt these new concepts. But this International Man of Mystery’s best line of the day… “I left my car keys in the jet.” How do I get to go on these awesome adventures? I’ll never tell…
Meet with… National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences NCATS, the newest addition to the NIH, will be sending a rep to Biocom for an overview, meet and great, and networking luncheon. Why are we big fans of the NIH’s latest branch? NCATS’ mission is to speed up the translational science process. This means getting new treatments and cures for diseases to the people who need them FASTER! There is also an opportunity for individual companies to meet one on one with Nora Yang, Director of Portfolio Management and Strategic Operations. As Biocom’s invite states, “Translation is a team sport and NCATS wants to play.” Welcome to the playground. September 17, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Biocom
Temporal Dynamics of Learning Center: Neurogaming on the Mesa Calling all Neuro Nerds! The lovely Leanne Chukoskie brings a killer cast together at Qi in hopes to ignite collaboration. Their goal, to make “Serious Games.” Serious? I can be serious… Ms. Chukoskie pointed me to a few of her favorite examples, Depression Quest and Crystal Island. Rockstars Ramesh Rao, Aaron Seitz, Fillipo Rossi, Tzzy Ping-Jung, Sheldon Brown, and Roger Bingham will participate. There will be talks of next steps and grant opportunities as well. September 18, 8 a.m.-8 p.m., Atkinson Hall Auditorium
CONNECT Frameworks Workshop: Mergers and Acquisitions In the market for a potential sale? Acquisition? What about a merger? Blonde? CONNECT is bringing in Joe Davidson and Clark Libenson of Allen Matkins to help you better prepare and navigate your way to a successful transaction. This event will be at CONNECT’s new digs. Fancy. Rumor has it they’ll be whoopin’ it up late October para celebrar the big move. Always down for a good party. September 24, 8-11 a.m.
Good with names? Faces? Counting cards? DART Neurosciences in San Diego is testing our memory skills with their latest sponsored project the Extreme Memory Challenge (EMC). Check out this short clip introducing the EMC. They are looking for the best memory in the world. Porquoi? The research they are gathering is to develop a “medicine based therapy to rehabilitate circuitry in the brain.” The hope is for long-term memory loss patients to retain their memories and be able to understand their place in the world as they age. The Extreme Memory Challenge is a way for DART to identify those with superior memory skills and do further testing to pinpoint if these smarty pants just might have some super sonic genes in their DNA. Think you can beat the reigning champions? Bring it. Nelson Dellis, 3 time U.S. memory champion. James Patterson, words, names and faces specialist. Seriously? A man who can remember names? The more people that take the test, the more data DART Neurosciences has to move their research forward. Let’s help these people find what they are looking for. Take the challenge yourself. Blow it up on your Facebook or Twitter account. We aren’t all in a position to do the science, or donate the big bucks. This is an opportunity for YOU to help and potentially impact the lives of thousands who suffer from Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s. Take the challenge, spread the word, host a tournament… Now there’s a thought…
That’s What SHE Said: Welcome to the Playground
AgileJet | Photo by John Mendez / Mendez Strategy Group
Archive
OCTOBER 23, 2023
The Problem With Bright Red Tuna
Many Americans still think bright red tuna means it's fresher (it's not)
You know the tuna I’m talking about. It’s easy to mistake for a cube of watermelon. It’s the color of a Lyft logo. Appears to be glowing a vibrant, tantalizing purity. Tuna that bright red or pink means it’s… what, extremely fresh? Bursting with nutrients?
I thought this was widely known, but a chef recently told me very few of his staff members were aware of this, and almost none of his customers. So, especially with the recent proliferation of poke joints, I thought I’d be helpful with this PSA of sorts.
Bright red or pink tuna means it has been gassed. In its natural state, fresh tuna is dark red, almost maroon, sometimes even chocolatey-looking.
But here’s why I personally tend to back away when I see bright red or pink tuna:
1. IT’S MUCH HARDER TO TELL IF IT’S FRESH OR NOT.
It can be left out for days and it will not turn brown. In one study, the University of Florida found that carbon monoxided tuna kept its bright red color for 11 days in the fridge. “The carbon monoxide actually hides the quality of a fish,” says Tommy Gomes, fifth-generation San Diego fisherman, host of The Fishmonger on Outdoor Channel, and owner of seafood shop Tunaville in Point Loma. “It’ll make a poor-quality fish pretty like a rose. I’ve seen them take an old piece of brown tuna [and] put the gas on it, and it comes out looking like cherry lemonade.” The gas also masks the smell of old tuna (which is one way you can tell if tuna’s getting past its eat-by stage). “Since there’s no smell, it falsifies the freshness,” Gomes explains.
2. I TRUST GOVERNMENT HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS, BUT ALSO RECOGNIZE THEY’RE NOT PERFECT.
The 1992 USDA food pyramid suggested carbs should be the bulk of our diet (they corrected that in 2005 and 2011). The government approved the fat substitute Olestra, which gave people all sorts of tummy issues. Margarine and other trans fats were also approved, then banned in May 2019. There are some smart humans in the government, but even geniuses make mistakes. So I tend to go with my gut: tuna in its natural state, or tuna treated with carbon monoxide? Easy choice.
So why gas tuna at all? Because of us. Consumers don’t like brownish fish. Tuna oxidizes quickly. It’s difficult for tuna fishermen and women to get it to market quick enough before it turns that brownish or chocolatey color. Customers erroneously think all brownish-looking fish is old or bad and will pay more for “fresher-looking” fish. So in the 1990s, the FDA allowed companies to gas the tuna and keep it artificially bright red for long stretches at a time.
“There’s nothing wrong with a hot chocolate–looking tuna loin,” says Gomes. “But, here in America, we want [it] seared on the outside, rosy pink on the inside.”
What fresh tuna should look like
Gassed tuna is also often imported and less inexpensive than fresh, un-gassed tuna, says Gomes. “So, to be fair and honest,” Gomes acknowledges, “for families on a budget, gassed tuna is one of the best alternatives out there for frozen seafood.”
In theNew York Times article cited above, a sushi restaurant owner reported his sales of tuna tripled when he started using gassed tuna. So that’s obviously good for the small business owner, as well as grocery stores. Food waste is a massive epidemic—the US throws out about half of edible seafood. If gassed tuna gets Americans to eat perfectly edible tuna they otherwise might throw out, that’s a step in a good direction.
But it’d be better if we as consumers knew that fresh, non-gassed tuna is supposed to be dark red or maroon—not bright red or watermelon pink, like a majority of the tuna I’ve seen at local poke shops. Ideally, we would look at a piece of bright red/pink tuna and think “Oh, hey there, carbon monoxide.”
The most important things about buying tuna is to trust the source (whether grocery store, fishmonger, or sushi joint). It also should be shiny and somewhat translucent, and not have slime or an off-smell.
Troy Johnson is the magazine’s award-winning food writer and humorist, and a long-standing expert on Food Network. His work has been featured on NatGeo, Travel Channel, NPR, and in Food Matters, a textbook of the best American food writing.
A perfectly designed home rarely happens by accident. Those kitchens that feel effortless and rooms that seem to tell a story the second you walk in? They’re usually the work of someone who knows exactly what they’re doing.
It’s knowing which ideas will actually work, which materials will hold up over time, and how to turn a collection of choices into a space that feels intentional. That’s where a professional interior designer comes in.
For the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) California San Diego Chapter, the goal is to help people see interior design as more than just the finished look. Behind every well-designed space is a process built on technical expertise. Designers are educated in everything from professional software and construction details to building codes, space planning, materials, and functionality.
Courtesy of ASID
“People don’t always realize how much goes on behind the scenes,” Kirsten Recce , current president of the ASID California San Diego Chapter, says. “Our designers are not just doing furniture placement and color selection and picking out new fluffy pillows. That’s not what they’re trained for.”
ASID members bring formal education, continued learning, and industry knowledge to their projects, helping create spaces that are not only beautiful, but designed to work. A paint color that changes completely depending on the lighting. A material that looks beautiful in a showroom but doesn’t make sense for everyday life. A layout that photographs well but doesn’t function for the people living there. These are the details where professional guidance can make all the difference.
Still, one of the biggest misconceptions about hiring an interior designer is that it’s reserved for massive renovations, luxury homes, or people who already know exactly what they want. The process can feel intimidating. Where do you begin? Is a designer worth the investment? What if you only need help with one room?
ASID’s answer: start with one hour.
ASID’s Spruce Up events break down one of the biggest barriers between homeowners and professional design: knowing where to begin. Held twice a year, the community program gives homeowners the chance to work directly with an ASID designer through a one-hour, $125 consultation in their own home. Whether you’re looking for advice on furniture placement, window treatments, kitchen and bath updates, remodeling ideas, vacation rentals, color selections or something else entirely, the upcoming September 2026 event offers an approachable way to get expert guidance before committing to a full project. Signups are open through Sept. 7, with consultations taking place Sept. 21 through Oct. 31. Proceeds benefit ASID San Diego’s educational and community programs. Register here!
Courtesy of ASID
“It’s a great opportunity for people who are in that exploratory phase,” Recce says. “Maybe they’re not sure they want to hire an interior designer yet, or they think it sounds daunting or expensive. This gives them a chance to discover what working with a designer is actually like.”
Design is personal. A good designer isn’t just creating a beautiful room; they’re helping create a space that fits the way someone lives.
“We’re a resource to all of San Diego County,” Recce says. “It doesn’t cost anything to pick up the phone and call and ask. We’ll answer.”
Growing up, Laika Nur, MD, Scripps Clinic sports medicine specialist, loved watching beach volleyball when the Association of Volleyball Professionals tour came to her hometown of Chicago. A talented volleyball player herself, she remembers sitting in the stands all day, and once, even got a couple autographs. Years later, Dr. Nur was attending a professional event focused on women’s sports, and the discussion turned to a new professional women’s volleyball league. The general manager and coaching staff for San Diego’s team, the Mojo, happened to be in attendance, and Dr. Nur took the opportunity to ask them if they needed a team doctor. Flash forward to the Mojo’s inaugural 2024 season, when Dr. Nur officially became the team physician. Click here to read more about Dr. Nur and how she incorporates lessons she learned on the court into her practice.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
