Even after firmly establishing themselves geographically, economically, socially, and culturally, Italians in Los Angeles faced formidable obstacles.
CULTURE
GIACOMO CERUTI: A COMPASSIONATE EYE
It couldn’t have been any easier in Ceruti’s time to “see” poorly-paid young workers, the homeless, or the marginalized elderly than it is today. It is never easy to acknowledge that we all contribute to and are in some way responsible for the suffering of the world.
HE WHO DANCES ON WOOD
“He Who Dances on Wood” is a luminous homage to making do with what’s at hand, to the vocation of art, and most particularly to the glorious Fred Nelson.
WHAT IT IS TO BE A WOMAN
To men who think they can become women, I want to say, you’re not strong enough.
THE OTHER COACHELLA
In the space of a couple of hundred square miles and nine cities, the state of California’s highest and lowest per capita incomes can be found. The winter “snowbirds” clear out in the summer heat for their second (or third) homes. The Palm Springs area boasts more private jets than commercial airlines.
THE HUCKLEBERRY EXPLORERS CLUB
The entire Club is a freewill offering, not promoted on social media and with zero online presence. Neither Shuffy nor Morgan have cellphones. Local people simply stop by and for the rest, email suffices.
BRING BACK MIRTH!
We’re almost no longer “allowed” to have fun, or to read anything that hasn’t been vetted for “sensitivity triggers,” or to enjoy our day without taking sides, inwardly arguing, wringing our hands over climate change, bemoaning the misinformation-censorship complex, calling out those who won’t mask — or those who are still masking, as the case may be — or waiting for a civil war to break out.
JOIN ME AT KYLEMORE ABBEY!
The summer tourists will have gone and I, for one, cannot even imagine the beauty.
LYING FLAT IS JUSTICE
“Lying flat is my wise movement, only by lying down can humans become the measure of all things.”
WRITING YOUR LIFE
“I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people,” van Gogh summed up the creative life.
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
“The Church is ‘not a system, an idea, an ideology, a structure, a society, but the tremendous living establishment, which has existed since the apostles until today”…
CELEBRATING THE REAL SISTERS OF L.A.
Here’s how this week’s arts and culture column begins: In a saga that has been well documented in recent weeks, the Los Angeles Dodgers recently issued an invitation, retracted it, then, under mob pressure, issued a groveling apology and implored a group of “drag nuns” who call themselves, all in good fun, of course, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, […]
AND MY MOUTH SHALL PROCLAIM THY PRAISE: A PLUNGE INTO MEXICAN DENTISTRY
I have been reduced to driving to Mexico for dental care. That’s right. Things have come to that. I won’t bore you with the ongoing cross of my beloved, brave teeth which, over the course of my life, have undergone extractions, adult orthodontics, resorption (a supposedly incredibly rare occurence that has happened twice or maybe […]