Columns

Recurring Columns

NEW COLUMN! BIRD TALK: THE GREAT EGRET

By Greg Dunne

 

October 21, 2011 (Santee) -- This resident of the East County can be found at many lakes in our area. Egrets have been found as far east as Cuyamaca Lake, but are commonly seen at Lindo Lake, Lake Jennings and Santee Lakes, where this Great Egret was photographed.

 


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HOME VIDEO HERALD: TOP GUN (BLU-RAY)


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WILL POWER REPORT: 60 VOTES? UNCONSTITUTIONAL!

Nothing but the truth!
 
By Will Power
 
 
 
October 17, 2011 (San Diego)-It is beyond my understanding why politicians of both parties continue to insist the US Constitution requires 60 votes to stop a filibuster and only 51 to pass legislations.

The US Constitution is quite clear- the majority required to pass legislation is only 51 votes.  How did the current 60 vote logjam come about?
 

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HOME VIDEO HERALD: DONNIE DARKO (BLU-RAY)

By Brian Lafferty

 



October 19, 2011 (San Diego) – There’s major box office successes, the ones that rake in millions upon millions of dollars. There’s box office sleeper hits, the kind that come out of nowhere and attract lots of audiences.

 


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: YOU CAN'T GO WEST AGAIN


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: THE "WEEKEND" OF THE AFFAIR


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HOME VIDEO HERALD: THE PACK (DVD)

By Brian Lafferty

 

October 12, 2011 (San Diego) – The 1950s spawned a then-novel horror subgenre. Many of these movies involved everyday animals and insects attacking entire cities after being transformed into giants (usually thanks to atomic testing or laboratory experiments).

 


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LIFE ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM: LIFE WITH MOTHER

By Brian Lafferty

 

October 13, 2011 (San Diego) – When I was little I would have an occasional paralyzing fear that my mom and dad were going to die too soon. I don’t know why I had this fear. All I know is it would keep me up at night and it made me cry.

 


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DREAM DOGS LOOKING FOR FOREVER HOMES

 
 
 
October 8, 2011, (Alpine) -- Not all pictues of all k9 kids included this time. However, here are their descriptions. They are all very good looking, and get along nicely with other dogs and kids.  They all bond closely and have never shown any aggressive behavior.

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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: THE GOLD BRUSH


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: GROSS ANATOMY

By Brian Lafferty

 

October 7, 2011 (San Diego) – The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) is a challenging movie not just in content but also in making me think about my response to it. It’s so easy for a critic to say that he likes or dislikes a film, especially when engaging in dialogue, rather than written expression. When a movie like this comes along, it’s not so black and white.


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MARKETING MATTERS: ARE YOU READY FOR HOLIDAY SEASON?

Tips and tricks for business success and growth
 
by Rama Beerfas
 
October 1, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) –  For some companies, the holiday season is the busiest one of the year - it can even be the make or break time. Other businesses experience a lull that they could nap to during the last quarter.
In either case, preparing and executing a well thought-out marketing plan will help make the most out of the last quarter and may even spark an up-tick in first quarter revenues.

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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: "HAPPY, HAPPY" JOY JOY

By Brian Lafferty

 

September 30, 2011 (San Diego) – There is an old proverb that goes, “Honesty is the best policy.” As a theme it serves Happy, Happy well. It’s refreshing to see a film so honest with everything, including its characters, their relationships with each other, and the situations they encounter. Most importantly, it’s honest with itself.

 


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: BACKWOODS IN ACTION


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"HAPPY, HAPPY" DIRECTOR TALKS ABOUT HER DEBUT FILM

By Brian Lafferty

 

September 30, 2011 (San Diego) – Happy, Happy opens today at the Landmark Ken Cinema for a one-week run. It’s a delightful Norwegian import that is at times laugh out loud funny and other times full of drama. Anne Sewitsky helmed the movie, her first feature film. I had a brief conversation with her by phone.

 


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The Will Power Report: No Jury Trials?

 
 
 
 Nothing but the truth!
 
 
September 29, 2011 (San Diego)--The US Constitution guarantees a trail by a jury of your peers, a guarantee that has lasted 235 years.  But increasingly, the power of prosecutors to plea-bargain using sentencing enhancements means that jury trials are the exception rather than the rule.
  
 

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SOCIAL SECURITY NEWS YOU CAN USE: NEW PODCAST DISCUSSES WHEN TO START RECEIVING RETIREMENT BENEFITS

By SSA E-Services Committee
 
 September 26, 2011 (San Diego)--Have you been wondering when the best time is to retire? If you have, then we have an audio podcast just for you. Social Security’s new podcast, “Deciding When to Start Receiving Retirement Benefits,” is available for you to listen to now at www.socialsecurity.gov/podcasts.
 
  

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GOOD MONEY: IDENTITY THEFT TIPS – “CATCH ME IF YOU CAN”

  

By Judith Seid

 
September 24, 2011 (La Mesa)--Frank Abagnale’s life of crime was depicted in a best-selling book and the Steven Spielberg film Catch Me If You Can. Since his imprisonment, Mr. Abagnale has worked for the FBI for 36 years as a specialist in fraud prevention. As the opening speaker at this year’s FPA conference, he told his own riveting story of forgery, identity theft, and embezzlement.


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: LIFE'S EPIC "MYSTERIES"

By Brian Lafferty

 

September 23, 2011 (San Diego) – A few years ago I watched the 1959 version of Ben-Hur. I sat in my seat mesmerized, so hooked that I did not take a single break during the entire three hours and forty-five minutes (which included the overture and intermission).

 


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PURPLE MOUNTAIN SAGE: EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRY, AND MAKE YOUR PLANS….

 
By Sharon Courmousis
 
September 21, 2011 (Boulevard, California)--A dear friend lies in hospice for her final days on earth; it is sad, so sad. And not fair. It is incomprehensible, from our perspective. We mouth all the platitudes such as “I cannot imagine what it would feel like to lose my mother” or “I feel for you” and other kind words. We really cannot imagine the feelings until it happens to us, and it will.
 
Do you believe this quote?
 
“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” – Teilhard de Chardin, priest, philosopher, geologist, mystic 1881-1995
 

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WILL POWER REPORT: INEQUALITY OF WEALTH

Nothing but the truth!
 
September 20, 2011--Since the election of Ronald Reagan, the percentage of wealth in the hands of the rich has increased, until today, 10% of the population controls 90% of the money.  That would not be so bad in itself, but the rich now want the other 10%, which is what 90% of the people live on.

With wealth comes power, as the Corporate Media not only controls newspapers, magazines, and television, but is now buying up the Internet. 

 

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WILL POWER REPORT: CONSUMPTION TAX?

 
Nothing but the truth!
 
 
 
By Will Power
 
September 13, 2011 (San Diego)--The latest neo-con pipe dream to come down the pike is a Universal Consumption Tax. This is like a National Sales Tax, but instead of taxing luxuries like yachts, second homes , and luxury cars, this Consumption Tax would tax food, prescription drugs, gasoline, and electricity, gas and water. 
 

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HOME VIDEO HERALD: GOOD WILL HUNTING (BLU-RAY)


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POLITICAL WRANGLING: HOW LOW CAN THEY GO? NATIONAL & LOCAL CANDIDATES TAKE SCAPE-GOATING AND MUD-SLINGING TO NEW DEPTHS


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PEARLS: MY BEST DAYS ARE SPENT IN TORN JEANS

 
By Charlavan Hart
 
September 13, 2011 (El Cajon)--Call me cheap and easy.  You won’t be the first.  But I am OK with that.  I LOVE to wear jeans with the knees blown out.  It has become ‘my look’ but it is much more than that.  It is ME.  How bad is that?
 

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HOME VIDEO HERALD: STRAW DOGS (BLU-RAY)

By Brian Lafferty

 

September 14, 2011 (San Diego) – To me, the most important part of the film is the first few minutes. At least 90 times out of 100 it’s during that time when I can tell if a movie will be good or bad.

 


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: "SISTER" ACT

By Brian Lafferty

 

September 9, 2011 (San Diego) – Mozart’s Sister is the year’s leading candidate for the year’s dullest film. During the two hour running time I counted only three instances of mental stimulation and they were as brief as they could get. This is one of those movies in which there is absolutely nothing to think about.

 


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: DISEASE THE DAY


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WILL POWER REPORT: NO GLOBAL WARMING IN TEXAS?

Nothing but the truth!

 
By Will Power
 
September 8, 2011 (San Diego) -- Texas Governor Rick Perry denies there is such a thing as Global Warming, but this week the Governor had to quit the campaign trail to address a huge wildfire that burned 1,000 homes to the ground.  Texas has been in a tremendous drought for several years, decimating the cattle industry and leaving most of Texas smoldering.
 
Now its the upscale hill country where the rich folks live that is burning.  Perry had no choice but to come home and try tofight the fires.
 
 

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