San Diego Free Press

Grassroots News & Progressive Views

Is Whole Foods Sincere About Its Support for Labeling Genetically Modified Foods?

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Alternet / By Ronnie Cummins / Oct. 4, 2012

After months of pressure from the organic community, including thousands of its customers, the leadership of Whole Foods Market on September 11 endorsed Proposition 37, the California Ballot Initiative to require mandatory labels on genetically engineered foods. But the endorsement came with “reservations” and inaccuracies. It also included the false claim that company policy precludes Whole Foods and its executives from providing much-needed financial support to Prop 37, a campaign that consumers – the very people who have made WFM and its executives wildly profitable – overwhelmingly support.

Is it possible that Whole Foods wants to ride the GMO labeling popularity wave while it quietly works behind the scenes to prevent Prop 37, or any other GMO labeling law, from passing? Could it be that a GMO labeling law – especially one like Prop 37 that prohibits the use of the word “natural” on any food containing GMOs – would cut too deeply into the company’s $9.8 billion in sales and almost $246 million in profits?   [Read more…]

Ezell Singleton, One Bad Cat, Jack

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The first time I heard about Ezell Singleton was at my barber shop soon after I had come to town in 1962. His name came up in an animated conversation about “Who Was the Baddest Athlete to Ever Come out of San Diego.” A dude who was wearing, as close as I can remember it, a red hat, yellow suit, blue shirt, green socks and pink shoes spoke through his gold teeth on behalf of Ezell, summarizing his multihued speech with “He was one bad cat, Jack!” Well, that’s the “G” rated version of what he said. If he had been like Isaac Hayes singing about Shaft, his back up singers would have had to sing “Hush yo’ mouth.”

His name would come up in picnic football games. Somebody would make a flashy move and get teased with “Who you think you are, Ezell Singleton or somebody!”   [Read more…]

The Right Employs Creative Thinking to Explain Why Unemployment Is Below 8 Percent

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Alternet / Adele M. Stan / Oct. 5, 2012

This month’s jobs numbers are out, showing the unemployment rate to have fallen to 7.8 percent, robbing Republicans of a favorite talking point. That number is a 44-month low, according to the Associated Press , which reports the unemployment number fell from 8.1 percent because “the number of people who said they were employed soared by 873,000.” Predictably, right-wing Republicans are crying foul , insisting, based on nothing, that the career civil servants at the Bureau of Labor Statistics must be cooking the books.   [Read more…]

Romney’s Debate Strategy: The Testosterone Ploy

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Alternet / By Alison Rose Levy / Oct. 4, 2012

Do we choose the nice guy with the solid values that we share, or do we choose the primate who beats his chest and displays high testosterone?

Just like in the ads featuring beautiful women, luring consumers to buy products, in this week’s Presidential debate, Mitt Romney pulled out something alluring—testosterone—offering this country a choice with which many women are familiar: Do we choose the nice guy with the solid values that we share, or do we choose the primate who beats his chest and displays high testosterone?

During the debate, while reversing his position on almost everything, and hoping Americans would forget his choice of running mate, Romney set his jaw, puffed his chest, and shouted over the moderator. In contrast, Obama repeatedly looked down, and looked tired. But who wouldn’t? (Note to Dem media advisors: Tell the President to look up and assure that he is positioned to Romney’s left in future debates.) Having pulled this country back from the brink of disaster created by the previous administration, and having fought to get anything done with a Congress more partisan and uncooperative than any in U.S. history, what’s President Obama served for dessert? A buffet of narrow-minded racism. After all of that, and much more, who wouldn’t be tired?   [Read more…]

A Progressive’s Quick and Easy Guide to 2012 California Ballot Propositions (Updated with Endorsements)

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Step inside for your handy dandy cheat sheet on the ballot propositions.

And be sure to check out our 2012 Voters Guide>>>
See Button on Right side of Page.

  [Read more…]

The Dove and the Cockerel: Chapter 4

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Colin had noticed the blood on Maxine’s hands and uniform. From the knees down to her boots were covered. He decided not to ask why she hadn’t started CPR.

“I went in the store, just to make sure there was no one waiting for me to turn my back,” Maxine stopped, gathering her thoughts and holding herself together for moment. “It’s a massacre in there.”

“What did you find?” asked Colin, encouraging her to continue.

“Nobody alive, that’s for sure,” said Maxine, looking toward the shop. “There’s a girl, what’s left of her, in the front part. Her head’s practically hacked off. There’s a machete next to her.”   [Read more…]

San Diego Free Press T-Shirts Now Available – Support a Free Press in San Diego

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We now have T-shirts to send you – just send us a donation. Yes, finally, after publishing for over four months, we have T’s available – and bumper stickers, as well. So, support a free press in San Diego – support the San Diego Free Press by getting one of our very nifty, smart-looking and stylish T’s.

We have two new sets of T-shirts.

The first is our black T with the San Diego Free Press banner logo. We have sizes in medium, large, X-tra large, and XX-tra large. It’s yours for a $15 donation (plus mail charge).

We also have San Diego Free Press bumper stickers, for $1 donation.   [Read more…]

The Starting Line—UT-San Diego Soviet-Style Election Coverage. Are Airbrushed Photos Next?

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UT-San Diego editor Jeff Light has always challenged critics of the paper’s ownership to see if they can find any bias in the paper’s news coverage that reflects the unabashed right wing political leanings of publisher Doug Manchester and CEO John Lynch. One need look no further than today’s edition of the paper and its failure to report any forum or debate occurring in San Diego yesterday that might have aired views in opposition to UT-San Diego’s editorial stances.

There were six, count em, six, debates and forums throughout San Diego yesterday, but for readers of our daily newspaper the only one that occurred was the “televised” event that was staged in UT-San Diego’s broadcast studio.

Not mentioned in today’s paper were a debate between candidates for the San Diego City Council District One seat, a forum for SDUSD School Board candidates, sponsored by the League of Women Voters and Up for Ed, a Balboa Park rally held by supports of school bond construction Proposition Z, a multi-candidate (six contenders, including Mayoral candidate Bob Filner and Congressional candidate Scott Peters appeared) forum on sustainability issues, and a PTA sponsored appearance by civil rights lawyer Molly Munger in support of Proposition 38.   [Read more…]

Civility? We don’t need no stinkin’ civility

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by Norma Damashek
Mayor Jerry Sanders has betrayed the public. How? by refusing to separate the communal public agenda from the financial agendas of the people who brought him to power – the heavy-hitting fraternity of property developers, hoteliers, bankers, sports team owners, and financiers. They took up residence in the mayor’s office 7 years ago and should have been evicted. He never showed them the door.

By climbing into bed with Carl DeMaio’s campaign and supporters, our avuncular Mayor Sanders revealed one of his least endearing charms – the broken ethical/moral compass he uses to justify a long history of political ineptitude, questionable judgment, and cover-ups.   [Read more…]

National Organization for Marriage (NOM) Pans My Nice Little Hetero Marriage

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By Kit-Bacon Gressitt
The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) emailed a link to its two new campaign advertisements this week. The ads support Minnesota’s Amendment 1, which would amend the constitution to restrict marriage to “only a union of one man and one woman.” What the ballot measure fails to note, but NOM makes evident in the first of its new ads, is that the woman had better be fertile, because, “Marriage is more a commitment between two loving people. It was made by God for the creation and care of the next generation.”   [Read more…]

Field of View: Glass Blowing at Spanish Village

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It’s difficult to stroll through Balboa Park’s Spanish Village without imaging what a life spent exploring your inner artistic child would be like. This trip I decided to focus (mostly) on Hand Blown Glass by Andy Cohn & Partners over at Studio 19, where Kevin Baker created a vase I ended up taking home. On the way out, I got to witness some miniature feather painting nearby.   [Read more…]

Ocean Beach Group Formed to Educate Women About Sexual Assaults – “Citizens’ Patrol” to be Established

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There was barely a seat available at last night’s meeting called by the OB Woman’s Club to discuss the recent sexual assaults in Ocean Beach. Nearly 50 people – over a quarter of them men – crowded into the building at the corner of Muir and Bacon – just yards from a violent sexual assault that took place during the wee hours of August 25th.

Becky Sorensen, vice-president of the club, opened the meeting and welcomed everyone. The meeting had been set up out of frustrations, apparently, at the weak response women had received when they brought up their concerns about the assaults and peeping tom at the OB Town Council meeting recently. A number of individuals approached the leadership of the Woman’s Club that night out in front of the Masonic Hall after the Town Council and asked if a meeting could be held there. Becky and Celeste McClure jumped into the task and printed up a flier and began distributing them around town.   [Read more…]

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