Special Sections

I recall as a young child hearing my grandfather say, “Those that have nothing appreciate everything they receive, and those that have it all expect it to flow like a river forever.” It never much occurred to me then what he was talking about. Today I understand. We have become a nation of spoiled brats, overweight, self-serving nincompoops who want immediate gratification without concern for consequences.

At the January 11, 2022 city council meeting, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A79JGYgjBSE Stephen Graham, attorney for the city of Hemet, told Malcolm Lilienthal: “Being king is good, sir” (time: 1:08:58)

As the saying goes: beauty is only skin deep. Yet the way beauty is defined often inflicts damage that cuts deeper. In her research, Ami Zota, an incoming faculty member in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, has exposed the hidden risks of chemicals used in beauty products and documented their disproportionate harms among women of color.

Earlier this year, when I was reporting on the number of young children ending up in the emergency room because of a mental health crisis, I did not have much difficulty connecting with families. Interestingly, everyone who agreed to talk was white. They were either keen to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness or did not consider it a shameful subject. 

The Legislature has a chance to modernize the state’s alcohol shipping laws and allow consumers to buy distilled spirits like they do wine. In 1986 when the Legislature allowed the wine industry to ship their product to consumers through direct mail there were roughly 700 wineries in the state generating about $5 billion in sales. Now California is approaching 4,000 wineries that generate $40 billion a year.