These days, sadly, America has become a highly polarized society. It may trace back to the Vietnam era or the Civil War or even the Revolutionary War when the Tories wanted to stay under British rule (which might have precluded the Beatles though I’m not sure the two are related).
A beautiful thing about MLK Day is that regardless of where one stands on the political spectrum, it is a day of meditation on issues of race, class, oppression and struggles for social justice and equality.
Recently one of my colleagues sent me a story that sums up the media’s apathetic appetite for covering the environment. It is perplexing and disturbing.
Wall Street and CEO culture in America is out of touch, arrogant, condescending, and those are probably their good qualities. Recent examples run the gamut, from snooty finance employees sipping champagne while mocking Wall Street protesters to a sign posted in the Chicago Mercantile Exchange proudl
I suspect that most members of Congress will want to forget the year that just ended. The institution that symbolizes our democracy finished 2011 plumbing depths of unpopularity it has never experienced before.
I spent the Christmas holiday in Mexico house sitting for a friend. It was a wonderful way to see another country and experience a culture that is similar to my own, but different enough to be interesting.
This year, like every election year, candidates are scrambling for endorsements, and it doesn’t seem to matter who the endorser is. They just want to have a lot of endorsements.
Q: While driving in Santa Monica I often come across two to three bicyclists on the roadway that are riding side by side causing cars traveling at the posted speed limit to either slow down or go around them.
For the new year, I resolved that in 2012 I wouldn’t wait until the last minute to write these columns. Here it is a few hours before my deadline and all I have so far is a title.
Dear New Shrink, My husband and I are very worried about our son. He is in his mid 20s, has had an excellent education, but all that he seems to be interested in is staying up late to play video games and sleeping until noon.
Editor’s note: Longtime Santa Monican Charles Andrews is traveling across Europe in a camper van for one year, with his family. This is the second installment in a series of columns about their adventures.
