Arlene Buchmann and the La Cañada-Flintridge volunteers put the finishing touches on their entry in the 2013 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena. This is part 2 of Arlene’s photo diary. [Read more…]
Archives for January 2013
How a Plan Comes Together: The Construction of a Rose Parade Float
Ever wonder how those incredible Rose Parade floats are made? Arlene Buchmann, a graduate of Mission Bay High School, volunteers every year to help plan and construct the La Cañada/Flintridge float entry for the annual Rose Parade on New Year’s Day in Pasadena. This year she was kind enough to share some photos and commentary about how it all comes together. Enjoy! [Read more…]
The Dove and the Cockerel: Chapter 19
As Joe walked down the hall he thought to himself how police work never ceased to amaze him. Part luck, part skill. He pushed the down button of the elevator and the door opened. He began his descent to the garage.
A little over twelve hours ago they had almost nothing. If it had not been for that kid freaking out in the courtroom they might still be stymied. But they were able to put a little piece here and a little piece there and the picture was starting to come together. They had a way to go before it was wrapped up and that could be any minute now.
He reached the garage and walked to edge of the overhang. He lit up a Camel and took a long drag, holding the smoke until he got the head rush from the oxygen deprivation. The rain had let up somewhat and was now no more than a heavy drizzle. The heavy clouds created a false night. The amber light of street lamps sparkled, reflecting off the wet pavement. Maybe it was the cigarette, but Joe felt relaxed. He was admittedly tired from the long night and day, but he felt relaxed from the satisfaction that they were about to put another deserving soul or two in jail. [Read more…]
Obama Calls for Assault Weapons Ban; Chastises Congress for Serving Gun Lobby
By Adele M. Stan / Alternet
President Barack Obama [on Wednesday] took to the White House podium to deliver a strongly worded statement calling on Congress to pass an assault weapons ban, to limit sales of magazines to those that contain no more than 10 rounds of ammunition, and to close a loophole in the law governing gun sales that allows purchasers of weapons at gun shows to skip the background check required for gun purchases in retail establishments.
Then he walked over to a small desk and signed executive orders that he said would provide greater resources for school safety, educate mental health workers on their options in reporting threats, and one that directed the Centers for Disease Control to conduct research into the causes of gun violence. All told, Obama’s plan includes 23 executive actions. [Read more…]
Monsanto’s Earnings Nearly Double as They Create a Farming Monopoly
By Charlotte Silver / Al Jazeera / Alternet
Last week Monsanto announced staggering profits from 2012 to celebratory shareholders while American farmers filed into Washington, DC to challenge the Biotech giant’s right to sue farmers whose fields have become contaminated with Monsanto’s seeds. On January 10 oral arguments began before the U.S. Court of Appeals to decide whether to reverse the cases’ dismissal last February.
Monsanto’s earnings nearly doubled analysts’ projections and its total revenue reached $2.94bn at the end of 2012. The increased price of Roundup herbicide, continued market domination in the United States and, perhaps most significant, expanded markets in Latin America are all contributing factors to Monsanto’s booming business. [Read more…]
Filner Throws Cold Water Over San Diego Budget Surplus Expectations
Mayor Sanders’ $12 million budget surplus projection did not account for looming realities.
Last year Jerry Sanders stood in front of the cameras and gave us a bit of great news: After years of crippling budget deficits, the City of San Diego would be running a $12 million budget surplus in 2014. Our problems are solved! All Hail Jerry Sanders, the savior of San Diego!
Filner, on Tuesday night, took the wind right out of those sails. He said those projected budget surpluses could actually be as much as a $40 million budget deficit, despite all of the austerity measures enacted during the Sanders administration.
Yeah, sure, we’ve heard all this before from Filner. But this was different. This was no longer a campaign talking point or rhetoric. He’s now the mayor, and this was the State of the City Address. This was for real.
Although he never mentioned Sanders by name, he accused his predecessor of some shady accounting tricks in order to protect his mayoral legacy; of fudging the numbers so that he could say he left behind the first budget surplus in recent memory. Filner accused Sanders of deliberately misleading San Diego taxpayers. [Read more…]
Taking On the Government Tyranny Gun Control Prophecy
By Doug Porter It’s about time somebody took on the tinfoil set and their arguments about tyranny coming soon to the US of A. John Stewart did so last night. My favorite part was where Stewart said conservatives appeared to be “confusing tyranny with the unpleasant burning sensation of losing democratic elections.” Watch. The Daily Show with […]
Can National Grassroots Push Depose the ‘Billion Dollar Democracy’?
Elections are now awash in unregulated money and ruled by the nation’s wealthiest, but can a grassroots effort stem the assault on democracy?
By Jon Queally, Common Dreams
A new report released Thursday puts an exclamation point on the outlandish and outweighed influence that wealthy individuals and corporations have in a post-Citizens United world by showing that a mere 32 wealthy donors—with an average gift of almost $10 million each—gave as much money to largely unregulated Super PACs in 2012 than all the country’s individual small donors gave to the Obama and Romney campaigns combined.
And though the 2012 election is behind us, many activists—now equipped with the experience of what a modern democracy controlled by millionaires and billionaires looks like—are hoping that fundamental changes can be made to correct the corrosive impact of shadow money and undue influence.
As the new report by U.S. PIRG and Demos, “Billion-Dollar Democracy,” shows, those 32 multi-million dollar gifts, in essence, outweighed the collective voice of 3.7 million individuals who gave individual and transparent campaign contributions to the candidate of their choice. Moreover, most did so under a veil of secrecy using shadow non-profit groups and shell corporations created specifically to launder political giving by masking the identities of financial sources. [Read more…]
The Starting Line – Shooting Down False Arguments About Gun Control, Starting With the UT-San Diego Editorial Board
Clearly these guys at UT-San Diego can’t read. The local daily runs an editorial on gun laws and can’t even get their facts straight. Why? Because they obviously can’t comprehend a simple press release.
Here’s what the UT-San Diego said, trying to shore up their gun control arguments with numbers:
While a new Gallup poll shows support for tougher gun laws has increased to 38 percent, the same poll shows 48 percent of Americans like laws as they are or want them loosened.
Except that’s NOT what the Gallup poll said. [Read more…]
SD For Free: Brunch with Mayor Bob
A weekly column dedicated to sharing the best sights and activities in San Diego at the best price – free! We have a great city and you don’t need to break the bank to experience it.
- Location: City Hall Lobby – 202 C Street, San Diego, CA 92101 (Downtown)
- Free Hours: 1st Saturday of each month from 9:30 AM to Noon, starting February 2nd
- Best For: Pardon requests, autograph seekers, the politically active, pothole complaints
- Website: http://www.sandiego.
gov/mayor/
In addition to many other items in his first State of the City address on January 15th, newly elected mayor of San Diego Bob Filner announced that he will hold ‘open hours’ on the first Saturday of each month to be available to the public. These open hours will take place in the lobby of San Diego City Hall and run from 9:30 AM to Noon. Residents don’t need an appointment and are welcome to come and share whatever is on their mind. [Read more…]
The Starting Line – 24 Things San Diegans Can Do to Honor the Memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“The time is always right to do what’s right.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
It has been twenty seven years since the first federal holiday marking the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King was observed. Like all good things, establishment of this commemorative day didn’t come without a serious effort. It wasn’t officially observed in all 50 states until 2000.
The movement for a holiday honoring Dr. King began as a union demand in contract negotiations. Congressman John Conyers introduced a bill four days after the assassination in 1968 to make the slain leader’s birthday a national holiday.
The bill would likely have died in committee, and stayed buried, had it not been for thousands of working-class Americans–most of them black, but also white, Asian and Latino–who risked their jobs over the next fifteen years to demand the right to honor a man they viewed as a working-class hero.
For those of us lucky enough to be able to celebrate holidays, this coming weekend is (or should be) different. I’ve combed through local listings in an attempt to create a comprehensive and easy to use guide for people who wish to honor the memory of Dr. King through community service and celebrations. There are activities listed here for people spanning all levels of physical ability, age and political persuasion. You can sign up for many of them with a mere click of the mouse. [Read more…]
Sex in San Diego: 10 Key Court Decisions That Protect Our Sexual Freedom
By Alex Henderson / Alternet
If the Christian Right had its way, the United States would be a fundamentalist theocracy in which contraception, homosexuality, abortion, sexually explicit hip-hop lyrics and all adult pornography were illegal. But making the U.S. that much of a theocracy would mean overturning a lot of major Supreme Court decisions. Over the years, the U.S. Supreme Court has had many rulings that helped to advance sexual freedom in the United States [Read more…]
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