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The Willis way to survive rip currents
Second time I've heard this advice in the last week and it seems to make a lot of sense. We know waves are headed to shore -- the place we want to go if we are caught in a rip current. The old claim that one should "swim with the rip until it dissipates" always struck me as oddly indefinite as to outcome. Anyway, I have to say it was hard to identify the message about swimmers' handling rip currents amidst Moss Gropen's admiring hipster descriptions of Milton Willis' drunk driving, conviction and hard time in prison for killing a friend.— July 23, 2019 4:01 p.m.
What about the LA PHIL's audience for new music?
"We live in a much less musical culture." Are you kidding? Only a tiny fraction of the population in Brahms' day entered a concert hall or salon to listen to his music. There was no middle class. At most, others hummed sea chanteys and folk ballads while working like animals or being desperately impoverished and without access even to the sound of music. "New" compositions today for the classical music concert hall may be weak. Few children today learn to play a musical instrument -- thank you public schools. But today music is everywhere, everyone hears it, everyone recognizes it, and there's a genre for everyone.— June 7, 2019 3:18 p.m.
Isaac Cherem’s Leona: Circumscribed hearts
Regrettably, I read this funny, wonderful review the day after "Leona" screened one-time-only at the Jewish Community Center in University City. I definitely would have gone to see it. I am totally okay with having to show I.D., produce a phone bill for proof of residence and leave a small child as collateral with the friendly (enough) security guards at the door. Now that I've missed out, do you think I can see it on Netflix at home?— June 2, 2019 1:47 p.m.
Duncan Hunter aide junkets free on U.N. Foundation tab
The times we live in. The day after Special Counsel Robert Mueller publicly affirmed the "concerning" truth of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election that benefitted Trump,Trump explodes in fury on the White House lawn en route to his waiting helicopter, screaming over the din: "Ya know who got me elected? I got me elected! I got me elected!" In the same week, passing time before his Fall trial for gross misuse of donated campaign funds, indicted GOP Congressman Duncan Hunter Jr. attends a rural town hall with his namesake and congressional predecessor father, to talk up guns, Border security and how commonplace it was for a Marine overseas to be photographed as he was, with murdered enemy combatants, as if they were trophies of war. For men like this, why not send an aide at public expense to a United Nations conference? Why not make sure the USS John McCain was hidden from view on the presidential visit to Japan? Why not stand up, punch back, denigrate others, dishonor your office, embarrass your family and disgrace your branch of military service? You might just get re-elected, voters being the sheeple they are.— May 30, 2019 5:59 p.m.
SDSU's Campanile Foundation dinged by auditors
This is a funny column. Say it isn't so -- deadbeats among donors to the Campanile Foundation at San Diego State! And County Supervisors looking for public relations help? How about Porter-Novelli? They gave us Mayor Sunny.— May 29, 2019 9:21 p.m.
San Diego Unified dumps anti-Islamophobia initiative
Tolerance from non-believers for religious people is important in a civilized society. I don't think it's generally true what you say: "if you don't believe as I do you are an enemy." Maybe it's more like, you are an outsider -- an entirely positive thing to be in this country. For the most part, religious believers usually derive social or spiritual comfort from their conforming participation and do not weaponize their beliefs against others. That should cut both ways.— May 23, 2019 6:14 p.m.
San Diego Unified dumps anti-Islamophobia initiative
I find it hard to imagine that Muslim students in our local public schools don't occasionally (or frequently) get harassed. Black students, Latino students, Persian students, Jewish students, Mormon students, special ed students, foreign students, disabled students, tall/short/fat/skinny students, stuttering students or students with lisps -- all are grist for the mill of adolescent ignorance and cruelty. With local class sizes of 35+ kids and teachers with five classes packed into a seven-hour day and counselor caseloads of 375+ teenagers and no districtwide leadership for systematically teaching tolerance, anything can (and does)happen.— May 22, 2019 11:41 p.m.
Lorena Gonzalez, Nathan Fletcher – biggest pigs at freebie trough
I'm not sure details of this story live up to the headline's lurid promise. Lorena's casino dining tabs ($88 freebie dinner? or $126 freebie dinner? both for March 8?) don't conjure images of pigs at troughs doing wanton thirst-"slaking" or "luxury dining." I realize in a perfect world our state legislators would not accept such gifts from influencers, but hey, at least they are reporting them. And no one threw any punches like California municipal officials gathering in Riverside County did earlier this week— May 22, 2019 11:04 p.m.
GEO Group finances Faulconer turkey hand-outs
Wow, there oughta be a law prohibiting ersatz charities like Mayor Faulconer's self-serving "One San Diego" where a measly one-seventh (!) of funds raised go to genuine charitable enterprises. Reputable charity rating agencies would give this one the black spot.— May 17, 2019 2:29 p.m.
Fox Sports shares naming rights to Qualcomm stadium, plus manages it
Noting Mayor Sunny's personal public relations stable of four flacks, maybe the headline should just read "Lame Mayor" and forget the"Duck" part. Also, I'm still hoping for a rundown on number of staff and salaries attached to each City Councilmember.— May 17, 2019 2:10 p.m.