The outrage over the grand jury’s decision not to indict the police officer that shot and killed Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, has ignited a firestorm of protests across the country. CNN reports that the national furor isn’t just about one grand jury’s decision on one shooting case. To many protesters, the death of unarmed…
He’s known as the “Baron of Bad Taste” and the “Sultan of Sleaze”. His early films are cult classics and introduced the world to Divine’s outrageous character portrayals – who can forget the dog-feces-eating scene in Pink Flamingos? Of course, I’m talking about the legendary director, actor, screenwriter, stand-up comedian and author, John Waters. My…
For many years, the truth is, there has been no difference between saying “I am a sexually active gay man,” and “I am constantly afraid.” I came out to my mother at age 15, and she told me to make sure I did not get AIDS. I was born in 1989 and my father had…
At the end of Catching Fire, the second film in The Hunger Games series, our hero Katniss Everdeen, played by Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence, has managed to destroy the high-tech dome in which she and 23 other “tributes” from the 12 districts of the nation of Panem were fighting each other to death. The previous year,…
also playing Stephen Hawking is the most famous living physicist, if not the most famous living scientist, in the world. Hawking is best known for being debilitated by a motor neuron disease; he is almost completely paralyzed and communicates only through an electronic voice box. His first wife, Jane, wrote a memoir about their marriage,…
Everyone wonders how someone should handle the delicate situation of when a friend is at the center of a public firestorm. Should you defend your friend to the end? Should you say nothing because all you know is the friend has been a wonderful leader and nice guy as far as you can tell? Does…
The city’s medical services director, Dr. James Dunford told a City Council committee Nov. 13 that more than 2.5 million dirty needles were properly disposed of since the start of the city’s Clean Syringe Exchange Program. Presenting the Safe Point San Diego Clean Syringe Exchange Program Annual Report for fiscal year 2014 Dunford then asked…
The “Peep Bandit” who robbed adult bookstores and other businesses was sentenced Nov. 18 to eight years in prison and ordered to pay $1,914.14 to the adult businesses. Additionally, Oscar Augustin Smith Jr., 29, was ordered to pay $544.72 to two sandwich shops and 7-Eleven by San Diego Superior Court Judge Timothy Walsh, who said…
Thanksgiving is almost over, but as it is too soon for the religious elves and snowman, I’ll tell you of the Thanksgiving dinner I gave in my first year of teaching. Deciding to duplicate the happy ambiance of the famous Norman Rockwell tribute to Thanksgiving, I invited three equally new, young teachers and, in a…
