Social activist, writer, public speaker and a host of other possible epithets barely begin to do justice to Benjamin O’Keefe. At 22, this Orlando native is making his ascent at a clip few others will experience in their lifetimes. O’Keefe has already become the youngest senior producer in the history of MoveOn.org and the social…
Having advised and served the last seven mayors of San Diego, and two interim mayors, I have indeed heard many “State of the City” addresses by both Republican and Democratic office holders. The address last week by Mayor Kevin Faulconer was one of the most sincere and down to earth speeches by not a partisan…
People will talk. And that can be a bad thing: gossip is often mean, and its shelf-life is sometimes longer than we’d like. On the other hand, a bit of scandalous chatter can be great: as in the new book Marilyn Forever by Boze Hadleigh, if people are talking about you, they’ll remember you. Through…
Before I left for my yearly visit to Japan, my home for 40 years, I engaged in the traditional New Year’s house cleaning, a custom I follow as religiously as my resolution to lose 10 pounds. A hard look at my “must keeps” instantly reminded me of my father’s comment, “If you have a closet,…
When news of Will X. Walters’ suicide broke there was shock and anger throughout the LGBTQ community and beyond – shock at this senseless waste of life and anger that a simple apology could have prevented these prolonged proceedings many years before. At a memorial service, Jan. 7 powerful eulogies were given in celebration of…
I experienced why disruption happens in an industry the other day when I decided to take a cab. I must admit that I am Mr. Uber. I take the car service to and from work practically every day. The cost is cheap and I can make focused phone calls, relax or simply have a pleasant…
“Hide my head I want to drown my sorrows, no tomorrow, no tomorrow.” — Tears for Fears, “Mad World” For many, there is a legitimate sense of sorrow when contemplating the incoming Trump administration and the potential for harm; the heretofore unfathomable loss of hard fought civil rights and societal advancements. Understandably, drowning ones sorrows…
I learned most of Space Race history from The Right Stuff, Philip Kaufman’s excellent epic about the test pilots and first astronauts who propelled us into space. The movie is classic American hagiography, in which a bunch of brave white men risk life and limb for the glory of the flag. It’s mostly accurate, though…
thursday, jan. 19 The Sultan and the Saint St. Paul’s Cathedral is to host the San Diego premier of The Sultan and the Saint, a docudrama about Muslim-Christian peacemaking. With the rise of new forms of extremism across the Middle East and North Africa, Christians and Muslims around the world are facing a media narrative…
thursday, jan. 12 Train to Busan A man (Gong Yoo), his estranged daughter and other passengers become trapped on a speeding train during a zombie outbreak in South Korea in this exciting thrill ride from director Yeon Sang-ho. Train to Busan is a harrowing zombie horror-thriller that follows a group of terrified passengers fighting their…
