The Not-So-Great Gaetzby
F. Scott Fitzgerald has always been one of my favorite authors and The Great Gatsby a favorite book. It may have been the first Fitzgerald I read (though possibly that was The Diamond Big as the Ritz). Either way, I fell in love with Fitzgerald for his poetic style. The sheer beauty of his choice […]
The Real Reason Trump Lost
Mail-in voting thwarted Donald Trump’s plans to steal the 2020 election like he did in 2016. In that previous cycle I believe Russian hackers did ply their trade to scooch him past the margin. So, while he would certainly have been a sore loser anyway, that it was Coronavirus that ultimately snuffed his chances must be particularly […]
Reality Check, Courtesy of Breonna Taylor
These days, when I start to feel sorry for myself, I invoke the memory of Breonna Taylor and her family, and realize I have nothing to complain about. Whatever concerns of unfair play, injustice and random displays of inequitably applied brute force melt to insignificance when I contemplate the 26-year-old emergency medical technician awakened from […]
For Anyone Wondering Why Black Lives Matter
I hate racism, and you should too. It’s reprehensible, wrongheaded, boring. Difference is interesting. Just think how dull life would be if everything were the same. Well, actually, there would be no life under those conditions. Biodiversity is diverse for a reason. That’s for another article. Back to my main point. Boring is bad. Difference is […]
Poor Rembrandt! (Sort of)
He is an artist known for breaking the rules, and possibly the law, according to “Rembrandt the Bankrupt Printmaker: His Life and Bankruptcy Proceedings of 1656,” an adventure in painting and jurisprudence delivered in the ceremonial courtroom of the U.S. District Courthouse on First Street in Los Angeles April 30. Flanked by majestic oil paintings of chief judges past, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge the […]
The Notorious BAV
In life, a singular pleasure is to come into contact with an exceptional human being. To be invited into their home. To be exposed to their way of thinking, decorating, recreating. To absorb the wisdom that can only be the byproduct of a full life. That was the rare gift bestowed by Barbara Ann Vaughan, denizen of […]
Death of Unions Greatly Exaggerated
The Supreme Court is expected this month to issue its opinion in Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, a closely watched case viewed as a bellwether for the future of unions. At issue is whether unions have the right to mandate collection of agency fees from non-members. According to the current […]
Hearing Implants Mean No Limits for Andie Aviv
What do we admire in others? While largely a matter of personal taste, there are some attributes commonly held to be exceptional. One of those is the ability to choose one’s path, powering through limitations real or imagined to arrive at the desired result. In that tradition, San Fernando Valley rider and resident Andie Aviv was […]
Every Day is Earth Day
If we need one day a year to remind us to treat it with respect, veneration even, so be it. It doesn’t do any harm to celebrate “Earth Day.” But more appropriately every citizen of the planet would be aware of this every day. The Earth is our shared temple. I’ve been getting some flack for […]
Bullish on Intellectual Property
Can proximity create copyright infringement? Artist Arturo Di Modica claims it can. The creator of the famous bronze “Charging Bull” that has since 1989 been a visual signifier of Wall Street is demanding that the city of New York remove an adjoining sculpture he says distorts the meaning of his work. In March, the statue dubbed “Fearless Girl” was […]