Film, Television, Sex, Music, Literature, Pop
First: A “He said, He Said” Story.. In the event any of you are in the market for a good fresh dose of weapons-grade insanity, ponder the Nicholas Kuhnhausen story and the utterly bizarre way 48 Hours chose to tell it. It begins with the disappearance of 17 year old girl named Nikki, who is,..
Think About It.. According to one source, California has $1.5 TRILLION in unfunded pension liability. “Unfunded pension liability” represents that portion of the state’s pension obligation not covered by agency and employee contributions. Another way of putting it is this: “in order to keep paying your pensions, we need to come up with about $1.5..
Don’t Cry For Me, Santa Barbara I approach festivals — any community festival heavily managed by institutional types worried about their ESG/DEI ratings — with deep suspicion, since you never know when a congregational response will be required of you. (Priest: “May climate change worry be with you.” Worshippers: “And also with you!”) So I..
The Ugly Problem of Folk Dance Hate.. September is National Square Dance Month, but the national celebration will be too late for Marcy Quinsdale. Marcy, just 14 years old, had saved enough money from her allowance to buy a competitive dance outfit, with a gored, pocketed skirt and peasant style blouse. The ensemble was all..
Even atheists should warm to the idea… Calm down. This will not be a defense of theocracy. My position here is fundamentally rooted in the American story itself, and the governing tools forged at Philadelphia in 1776. (“Christian Nationalism” is NOT “white nationalism,” by the way; people who make that claim don’t understand that Christianity..
Not a typo.. Our daughter, in her new kitchen, made us “sheet pan frittatas” yesterday. We took mimosas on the back porch, talked shop, watched our grandson, Silas, blowing bubbles, gave Mary a few presents, lazed on the lawn, napped, and parted. In the driveway, on the way out, Mary gave voice to the reality..
Estranged Whenever a relative signs off on you, declares you toxic and untouchable, not even worthy of a good college try at Christmas and Thanksgiving, then, if you’re like most people, you’ll ask yourself the question “why?” There will be a few obvious answers, a few exchanges you regret, a few things they did and..
We tend to see equality of outcome as a sign of fair play, even spiritual holiness, but it’s the devil, not God, who longs for a brutal and boring equality.. Ponder the very foundations for a moment. In the very first chapter of the Bible, God declares a rigid hierarchy. Man is to have dominion..
Rahab, Oppenheimer, Epps (One of these things is not like the others..) I once met an old Marine who served in Okinawa during World War II. He told horrendous stories of machine gun nests opening up every 75 feet, and American GIs tied to stakes and turned into Swiss Cheese for the amusement of Japanese..
On the Road… A few weeks ago a guy pulling a rickshaw on Venice beach called me, “Mr. 80s Man.” It was an unsolicited commentary on my clothing — the khakis, button down shirt, loafers and Ray Bans that have constituted my attire since college, forty or more years ago, back when the classic preppy..
