By J.C. Thomas The seaside village of Del Mar, just north of San Diego, is surely one of the loveliest spots in all Southern California. More than 2 miles of sandy beaches bound Del Mar, encompassing coastal parks, playgrounds, top-notch…
L'Auberge Del Mar, a luxury hotel on the coast of Del Mar, California
By J.C. Thomas Newport Beach, one in a string of glorious beach towns along the coast of Orange County, has a reputation for being fancy. There’s no denying it’s a gilded playground of sorts, profuse with country clubs and yachts,…
Beachfront views from the private terrace of a cottage at Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort and Marina
America, We Thank You By Rachel Melikian On Oct. 29 this year 405 Congress members struck a historic bipartisan vote for the house resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide of 1915 to 1923. The H. Res, 296 strives to “commemorate the…
By J.C. Thomas Many SoCal residents are eagerly awaiting the arrival of snow in Big Bear, whether it’s by nature or machine. But with temperatures across California still on the warmer side, we’ll all just have to be patient. Real…
Racing go-karts at the Big Bear Speedway
By J.C. Thomas Irvine is commonly characterized by the hundreds of corporate headquarters whose high-rise office buildings tower over the city’s neat and sunshiny master-planned landscape. This makes it easy to overlook Irvine as a vacation destination, but look beyond…
One year after his death, the “last of the giants,” is still on stage By Rachel Melikian He was short, plain and not conventionally attractive, yet against the odds, he climbed to the global heights and was named “France’s Frank…
By Rachel Melikian Photographs preserve history and teach us about the past without any language involved, but as the saying goes a picture is worth a thousand words. Now most of us are amateur photographers using smartphones to capture selfies…
By J.C. Thomas If you have never considered Oakland as a travel destination, may I suggest you think again? National Geographic Traveler recently named Oakland one of the “28 Best Places to Visit in the World for 2019.” The world.…
The view from the Waterfront Hotel on Jack London Square, Oakland.
A weekly round-up of the biggest news in California politics…. Feinstein and Barnes developing legislation to protect California and Montana communities from wildfires: Senator Feinstein, with Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) are developing bipartisan legislation to protect communities from wildfires. The…
By Ariel Johns We all know someone who has been impacted by it – no matter their race, age, sex or income bracket. It’s a topic that no one wants to discuss. It tests families and destroys relationships. Cancer is…
The "California Dreaming to Conquer Cancer" block party hosted by Concern at the Paramount Studios backlot. Photo by Ariel Johns.
By Roger Allnutt It has been 10 years since I visited Cambodia, the “Kingdom’ of Wonder” and although there have been improvements since that time the majority of inhabitants of the country are still desperately poor. In the capital Phnom…
The Silver Pagoda at the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh. By Roger Allnutt
By Susan Partovi I met “Carrie” while making rounds at the Los Angeles County women’s jail with a group of mental health professionals. A woman in her mid-50s, she had no clue what day it was. Naked and thin, Carrie…