American companies kowtow to Chinese money

Share: A year ago, Nike unveiled its “Dream Crazy” ad. It featured former quarterback Colin Kaepernick, best known for kneeling during the national anthem in protest of police brutality and racism. The message, printed over the image of Kaepernick staring back at the camera, told the viewers: “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt.” For days, social media was filled with squabbling between those who supported Kaepernick and applauded the sentiment, and naysayers who hated the ad and called for a boycott …

Racist propaganda ruins more things

Share: The symbolic interactionist theory, in sociology, contends that people make sense of their world through the exchange of meaning through language and symbols. We interact with things based on meanings ascribed to those things. Unfortunately, nefarious groups have sought to change the intended meanings behind symbols they fancy, and recently they have claimed some victories.  Follow:

LA Chocolate Salon: Where cacao meets art

Share: “Your hand and your mouth agreed many years ago that, as far as chocolate is concerned, there is no need to involve your brain,” once wrote humor columnist Dave Barry, whose work has appeared in more than 500 newspapers in the United States and abroad. It turns out Dave Barry is wrong, if attending the Los Angeles Luxury Chocolate Salon is any indication. To truly appreciate artisan chocolate, you can’t simply stuff your face, regardless of what your instincts tell you. The event had …

Wanderlust satisfies your lust for exotic ice cream

Share: The line steadily grew as the sun set over Old Town Pasadena. Due to the growing sidewalk traffic, the ushers decided it would be wise to coax the crowd to the opposite side of the building. Indignant horns began to blare when an influx of young people suddenly began to crowd the already cramped alleyway. The ruckus inevitably drew the attention of people on the prowl for dinner—many stopping to ask the reason why there was such a line. The Wanderlust Creamery had arrived …

Avenatti crashes, but grifters still flourish

Share: There are few presidents who have duped the American people as thoroughly as President Donald Trump. A son of a famous, powerful dynasty built on inherited wealth and dubious tax schemes managed to convince nearly half of American voters that he is a self-made billionaire businessman who is eager to look after the interests of everyday Americans. Befittingly, the media in the Age of Trump has provided a platform for a parade of similarly shameless grifters seeking to emulate the President’s political and financial …

The Long Night is dark and full of terrors

Share: The final season of “Game of Thrones” has finally arrived, after nearly two years of making fans wait for the next installment. The season will run a scant six episodes, but are considerably greater in length, with Episode 3 being an hour and twenty two minutes in length and featuring the longest battle scene in film or television history. Fans are predictably eager to see how directors David Benioff and D. B. Weiss wrap up the franchise and bring resolution to many of the …