When I learned that Nelson Mandela had passed away, I was sad.  Mandela lived a martyred life for so long and then finally came to power in South Africa after years of imprisonment.  He lived to be 95 years old. Not to date myself, but I recall protesting in college against Apartheid and almost landing in jail.  I wanted to further show my support by traveling to Berkeley with other U.C.L.A. students like me who were “anti-Apartheid.” My parents wouldn’t hear of it, not because […]

I admit I love my iPhone, my iPad, my computer, etc. I guess you could say I am a gadget girl. I covet the latest anything when it comes to electronics, as long as it looks good, too. I must accessorize my circuit-boarded components with the coolest covers, plugs, or whatever makes them match. After all, this fashionista must be coordinated in all ways.

The implicit conclusion from the Zimmerman verdict is that racial profiling is still okay in this country. And this decision does not stand alone; racial profiling doesn’t simply apply to African Americans, but to all minorities, lest we forget recent legislation passed in the state of Arizona and elsewhere.

Putting together issue 49 was a lot of fun. After all, we have the best talent online. Oddly, it didn’t even register that the next issue would be a milestone. It never even occurred to me what that meant until a few weeks ago. And that’s when I sat up and took notice. Hey, this is our fiftieth issue! So what does that mean exactly?

Some say the world is getting better; others say it’s the worst it has ever been in the history of civilization. Hard to believe it’s the worst. The Black Death killed two thirds of the world’s population. Because there was no way to spread news like today, people got away with murder, rape, you name it. Before fingerprinting was invented, convictions were based on hearsay and circumstantial evidence.

If you’re Christian it’s a person at conception. If you’re just moral it’s a person once it forms fingers, toes and a face. If you’re a democrat it’s a welfare check. If you’re republican, it’s a means to control a woman’s place. Women still make only 56% of a man’s salary doing the exact same job. Oh yeah . . . we’re all equal. Just sayin’!

When the verdict was read, that’s when all hell broke loose! South Central became the scene of riots, fires, and deaths. I remember. I witnessed it as a passenger in a friend’s car while on the freeway peering into the war zone, where violence and looting erupted almost instantaneously upon the broadcast news that four out of the five cops were found “not guilty.” The Blacks of Los Angeles had finally had enough!