Cuba is changing. But to understand the many crosscurrents, one need only observe gay life in this island capital. To understand the Cuban people, you first need to understand the Cuban Revolution; not just the one still roiling a nation under the dictats of a deceased Fidel Castro, but the ongoing revolution on the Cuban…
It’s Oscar time 2017 but … Once upon a time in a Hollywoodland not so far away, Academy Awards were first presented for outstanding film achievement. That was 1929. All the political leaders were white, segregation reigned, and some people had to ride in the back of busses. And all the Oscar nominees and recipients…
The opportunity here in the U.S. is so unique because we are so diverse, with so many different cultures living together. Christians, Jews, Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists, all with their own connections to the spiritual aspects of food and with lessons that we can learn from each other. — Marcus Samuelsson, Restauranteur Xenophobia is the…
Recent polls show Mayor Kevin Faulconer behind Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsome in next year’s California governor’s race. That Faulconer, a Republican, is polling a strong second while expressing no interest in the race continues to have people urge him to run. While I believe our mayor would make an outstanding governor, I do believe it…
My flight back to my old home in Tokyo was uneventful, but started with the security guard taking one look at me and abruptly asking if I had a pacemaker or a knee or hip replacement. It was like being given a senior discount without asking for one. One manages a weak smile. My first…
Seventh grade students got a brief glimpse of gay male pornography Feb. 9 when their Chula Vista middle school teacher accidently showed the images on his iPad when he wanted to use the device for an academic lesson. The teacher was asked to leave the classroom by administrators after some students told them they viewed…
The San Diego City Council voted 8-1 Tuesday to join the lawsuit filed by the state of Washington against President Donald Trump in challenging his executive order that bans non-citizens from seven countries from entering the U.S. The Council heard from almost 50 speakers who urged them to join the litigation as amicus curiae, which…
One of the classic conflicts in literature, screenplays and on television is man versus nature. Basically, the conflict involves man trying to overcome a force of nature like a blizzard, hurricane or earthquake. Usually, the hero survives and gives hope to the reader or audience. Unfortunately, in real life, nature always wins. The reality is…
thursday, feb. 16 Spend the Night with Billy Crystal A stand-up comic turned television star, Billy Crystal found fame as a movie funnyman with starring roles in blockbusters such as When Harry Met Sally, City Slickers and Analyze This. He was much loved as the acclaimed nine-time host of the Academy Awards, an achievement topped…
Outside of cinephiles who have seen his Oscar-winning A Separation, Asghar Farhadi is not well known among Americans. But his name was thrust into the news over the last few weeks because of President Trump’s executive order banning travel of most anyone, but particularly Muslims, from seven majority Muslim countries. (The list does not include…
