Kiss the cobra

Opting out of the rafting and a tribal overnight, we headed for the snake farm to observe the vipers, asps, cobras and other creepy crawlies being gaily fondled and petted. As I suspected, volunteers were soon requested to kiss the cobra. Yeah right! My partner jokingly (I think) attempted to raise my hand. A sole…

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12 Years a Slave

dvd of the week Steve McQueen’s remarkable 12 Years a Slave is based on the 1855 autobiography of Solomon Northup, played in the film by the great British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor. Solomon was born free and educated in upstate New York, and while his wife and children are away, he is kidnapped and sold into…

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Star-Crossed

dvr this The CW, Mondays, 8 p.m. While the CW is best known for soapy teen dramas, often with a supernatural twist, the also-ran network is not known for high quality. But it should be. The new sci-fi shows on TV this year have huge budgets on ABC and Fox, but they’re better written and…

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Letters

Tiring of Bill’s Thailand (mis)adventures and more Dear Editor, Let me applaud your paper’s determination to present views from many LGBT groups and the attempt by Mr. Hanson’s column to widen the age range. He wants to speak for those of us who are seniors (I’m 71). Unfortunately his ramblings are often just that, ramblings….

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Seven points

That is the amount by which David Alvarez lost the mayoral race to Kevin Faulconer. First, the LGBT community did not sell out. It voted overwhelmingly for David Alvarez in the “gayborhoods” of Hillcrest, North Park, University Heights and South Park. Meaning in most precincts Alvarez got more than 70 percent of the vote, just…

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