Articles and items of interest that don't fit into the other major categories on this site.
The Health Care Insurance Crisis Hits Home
A rude awakening that makes me more committed than ever to the idea that our nation must guarantee quality health care for all its citizens.
Los Angeles Restaurant Recommendations
Every now and then, someone asks me for a local restaurant recommendation, or I have out-of-town guests who want to find some good places to eat. So I finally got around to writing up this list of my current favorites.
About a year ago, the son of a friend of mine was arrested in Oklahoma and charged with a felony...simply for writing a violent story about a Columbine-style massacre at his high school. Yes, the story was dark and scary, but instead of discussing it with Brian and his parents, the school administrators suspended Brian for a year (preventing his graduation), and reported him to the police. He was then arrested and charged as a test case under a new Oklahoma law passed as a knee-jerk reaction to Columbine and several other recent incidents (even though there has never been any evidence - except for the story - that Brian was actually planning any real-life violence). In the past year, what has happened to Brian and his family is even darker and scarier than the events described in his story...especially to those of us who care about freedom of speech, civil liberties and the increasing trends in this country to try and stifle those things through governmental action. George Orwell's "thought police" are alive and well. So if you, too, care about these issues, please see my friend Kathy's site about her son's case at:
Some strong opinions on the responsible (and irresponsible) treatment of companion animals.
What makes a good book group work...and a bad group fail.
(or: "How a Video Producer Has Learned to 'Produce' a Successful, Lucrative Sale")
Tips for finding and buying budget-minded software (published by DigitalEveLA)