Social Justice Magazine
David Kernell is the son of a state legislator from my home town. I met him at the pool of the Memphis JCC when he was two years old, while his dad and I discussed politics. We also happened to have lunch a couple of times, when his dad, State Rep. Mike Kernell brought his kids to the natural foods café I frequented.Sarah Palin is the former governor of Alaska and former vice-presidential … [Read more...]
As a teenager, I sometimes wondered why the song, “Share the End,” was on the Carly Simon album Anticipation. It stood out from the love songs and soft ballads that led me to buy the album. In 1972, I thought it unusual for a nice Jewish girl to be writing a song about the hypocrisy of priests burning a mosque, but I got it. She was ahead of her time. That song is apocalyptic in no uncertain … [Read more...]
Before Elvis there WAS a lot of great music in America beginning with Louis Armstrong. There were also great strains of blues and R&B that were highly evolved. There was country music and bluegrass, and various strains of white and black gospel. Rock ‘n’ Roll as we know it, had its formal beginning in 1951 when Sam Phillips recorded Jackie Brenston on “Rocket 88” at the original Sun … [Read more...]
Oakland is quiet and battered today. It could have been much worse. It could have been a little better. Watching the riots develop last night, surfing through the local news channels, evoked memories of that surreal White Bronco chase in 1994. But this was a different kind of drama.Regardless of the verdict, some element of violent protest was inevitable. Ironically, most of those … [Read more...]
This just in: All Americans are athletes! The Hot Dog Eating contest* was broadcast last Sunday on ESPN, and got some play in all the major newspapers. The San Francisco Chronicle even noted the broadcast of the contest in their daily sports TV log under the title of “Eating.” It was right there with “Cycling”, “Soccer” and the other so-called sports. I forgot to set the DVR. … [Read more...]
In some parts of the country, the words “Nancy Pelosi” and “Barbara Boxer” are dirty words. They symbolize divisiveness, alienation, big government, taxes. All over the country people are giving Tea Parties so they can socialize over crumpets and vent their anger about Pelosi and Boxer and their San Francisco values.For shepherding an agenda that seeks to restore the checks and … [Read more...]
I have this old friend with a problem. He’s one of my oldest friends in the world and we have a complex friendship that goes back many years. I recently spent 10 days visiting the city where he lives, but could not bring myself to visit him or invite him to meet me for lunch or dinner, despite our long-standing friendship. You see, this person has many good qualities, but has this habit I … [Read more...]
Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachman are pretty women who know how to work a crowd. They wink, they squeal, and say, “Goshdarnit;” and they don’t confuse tea with sympathy. Ole Miss had lots of pretty women on campus in the early 1960s when a major riot broke out over the admission of a black student, James Meredith. At the time, those women were big on both tea and sympathy, until Meredith … [Read more...]
In January, our custom is to properly honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on his birthday with a national holiday. Some cultures and religions also make tributes on the anniversary of a person’s death. Dr. King’s death on April 4, 1968 was a historic turning point in American History. It also happened to be the one-year anniversary of what I consider to be his most important speech, “A Time … [Read more...]
I’m told by a fellow traveler that the upside of hell is knowing that all of your friends will be there. I can hardly wait. Such was the feeling I had when I saw my name among many more important people on the Masada 2000 website. They are an ultra-right Zionist organization, bent on destroying the reputations and careers of any Jew who dares to utter or publish a criticism of Israel . They call … [Read more...]
Sometimes sports and politics have a confluence in interesting ways. Not as much as sports and the film and music industries, which are subjected to relentless paparazzi attacks. For non-sports fans or those who simply hate it, the following background info rmation may be important to your future. The University of Southern California recently hired a new football coach away from the University … [Read more...]
I teach classes in accent reduction and citizenship for new Americans in the Bay Area. I’ve learned that someone from another country, with advanced degrees, can be forgiven for making such a cultural faux pas. Young Americans who make these mistakes, however, should stay after school.Within the past year, no less than six people with advanced degrees have responded thusly, when presented … [Read more...]
The cultural contributions and significance of Michael Jackson pales in comparison to that of Elvis Presley. While he made great music and sold more records, Jackson ’s place in musical history cannot be in the same pantheon of 20th Century musicians who altered everything that came after them. In addition to Elvis, that would include Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and The Beatles. This … [Read more...]
The ESPN special, “Return to Mexico City ” is a thorough retrospective on the legacies of Tommie Smith and John Carlos. For anyone with a vivid long-term memory of those events, the high quality footage from those dramatic days will stir a full range of emotions. While we romanticize about it, we forget that 1968 was the most tragic AND dramatic year in our modern history. It was also the … [Read more...]
Is the corporate and media fallout from Michael Phelps bong hit justified? Are we still conditioned to react with shock and appall when we learn that yet another world-class athlete enjoys marijuana socially or recreationally? Or medicinally? The comments of athletes such as former NFL lineman Mark Stepnoski testify to the medicinal benefits for an athlete who deals with pain issues. LA Times … [Read more...]
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