The Wandering Review: The Dance of Reality

By Laurie Baron After establishing a reputation as an actor and director in avant-garde theatre, the Chilean-born Alejandro Jodorowsky burst onto the cinematic scene in 1970 with his surrealistic western El Topo. Since it prefigures the preoccupations of his subsequent films including The Dance of Reality, let me summarize its plot. A gunfighter abandons his […]

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International, Lawrence Baron

Talmud’s teaching can correct Bergdahl trade critics

By Rabbi Ben Kamin ENCINITAS, California — It’s hard to rationalize the incongruity of the recent cover of TIME Magazine, which petulantly asks the question, “Was he worth it?” The feature was a symptom of our malignant gossip culture. Smug pundits and cynical politicians muse with alarming insensitivity about issues without offering any moral context.

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Middle East, USA

Congressional Democrats praise California’s early school initiative; funding included in state budget

SAN DIEGO (Press Release) — All low-income 4-year-olds in California will be guaranteed access to high quality preschool under the budget signed by Governor Brown with legislative leaders Friday morning in San Diego. The expansion and improvement of pre-Kindergarten opportunities, championed by State Senate leader Darrell Steinberg, the state’s Senate Democratic Caucus, and the state’s

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Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Bill advances for Antelope Valley state college

SACRAMENTO, California (Press Release) — Assemblymember Steve Fox (D-Palmdale) announced that Assembly Bill (AB) 736, a measure which could eventually pave the way for a new California State University Campus in the Antelope Valley, received unanimous approval from the Senate Education Committee.  The bill now will move to the Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration. “Our

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Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Rep. Levin comes to Lois Lerner’s defense

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release) — Lois Lerner, who has been the subject of an investigation and considerable editorial comment as the person in the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) who was responsible for deciding whether organizations deserved tax-exempt status, was defended by Congressman Sandy Levin (D-Michigan), ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee,  against

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USA

Baron lectures tonight on ‘Jews and Baseball’

SAN DIEGO (SDJW) — San Diego Jewish World‘s movie reviewer and humor columnist, Lawrence Baron, a professor emeritus of history at San Diego State University, will deliver three summer lectures on Jewish movies  at Temple Emanu-El, 6299 Capril Drive, with the first coming at 7 p.m. tonight (Saturday, June 21), and the others scheduled on

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Lawrence Baron, San Diego County, Sports & Competitions

U.S. is Israel’s friend, but what about Barack Obama?

 By Steve Kramer  ALFE MENASHE, Israel– There is no doubt that Israel’s best friend is America. Without American support in the United Nations Security Council, binding resolutions against Israel would be much easier to pass. Without American aid, Israel’s military strength would be diminished. Without the backing of American citizens and America-based businesses, perhaps Israel

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Middle East, Steve Kramer, USA

Wyden applauds House vote on email searches

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release) — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) issued the following statement Friday, praising the House vote on Thursday night to to ban backdoor  email searches: “Last night the House of Representatives took a big step forward for Americans’ privacy rights by voting to prohibit intelligence agencies from deliberately reading Americans’ emails and

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USA

Religious leaders, Sanders decry wealth monopoly

BURLINGTON, Vermont (Press Release)– Vermont Christian and Jewish leaders joined U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) on Friday, June 20, to address the moral implications of extreme wealth and income inequality. Bishop Thomas Ely, the Rev. Dr. Lynn Bujnak, Monsignor Roland Rivard and Rabbi Joshua Chasan joined Sanders to emphasize that increasing wealth and income inequality

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USA

Justice Dept. calls for repeal of gay marriage bans

WASHINGTON, D.C (Press Release)—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California) applauded a report released Friday, June 20,  by the Department of Justice that calls for passage of the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill to fully repeal the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act. The report details the ongoing implementation of United States v. Windsor, the Supreme Court decision

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Travel and Food

Boxer lauds task force studying bee colony collapses

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)—U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) on Friday, June 20, praised the Obama Administration for creating a Pollinator Health Task Force to develop a federal strategy to promote the health of honey bees and other pollinators. The new interagency task force will help address troubling pollinator declines in California,

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Science, Medicine, & Education, USA