Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/659479
LIKE AUTOEROTIC ASPHYXIATION, supporting Donald Trump is an activity many people pre- fer to enjoy in a private setting, like in a shower or a vot- ing booth." —Matt Taibbi on "How America Made Donald Trump Unstoppable" (Rolling Stone, 2/24) "THE HIGH SEASON FOR DIVORCE attorneys is January and February, when the holidays are over and people can fi nally stop pretending to be happy." —Reporter Claire Suddath in reference to a pricey L.A. di- vorce attorney (Bloomberg Businessweek, 3/07) "I THINK WE, AND PARTICULARLY young people, increasingly view gender not as a given, but as a choice, not as a distinction between male and female, but as a spectrum, regardless of what's 'down there.'" — Northampton, Mass. psychotherapist Julie Mencher, who conducts school workshops on how to support transgender students (The New York Times, 1/30) "FOUR NATIONAL PARKS—Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Joshua Tree and Yosemite—regularly have 'unhealthy' ozone levels, meaning that the average hiker should reduce strenuous activity and those with asthma should avoid it altogether." —Reporter Julia Lurie (Mother Jones, Blue Marble 7/29/15) W O RT H R E P E AT I N G "WHO OPPOSES ANY OF OUR work on climate? There is no question that everywhere you turn it all goes back to the oil industry." —Mary Nichols, head of California's Air Resources Board, who has worked with Gov. Jerry Brown to reduce the Golden State's gas emis- sions by 5.5% and increase gross domestic product by 17% in 10 years (Mother Jones, March/April 2016) IS THAT WHAT APRIL FOOLS' Day is now? An opportunity for #brands to be #cute? It's ironic because in reality April Fools' is about misleading people, and #brands spend every day doing that. —Ben Dreyfuss dissing media outlets for lame attempts to prank custom- ers (Mother Jones, 4/1/15) "MY INTENT IS TO SHOW A NEW direction for young people who want to be more conser- vation minded." —SeaWorld CEO Joel Manby announcing an end to orca breeding. The park's profi ts have plummet- ed since the 2013 documentary Blackfi sh cast a critical eye on its practices. (Huffi ngton Post, 3/17) "WHAT IS THE BENEFIT TO THE woman of a procedure that is going to cure a problem of which there is not one single instance in the nation, though perhaps there is one, but not in Texas?" —Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer In oral arguments on the legality of Texas requiring abortion clinic doctors to have admitting privileges to a hospital in case of complications. There have been no documented cases of this need. (Slate.com, 3/04) By Marcia Hanscom Photos: Jonathan Coffi n, bottom, monarch butterfl ies at Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve; top, Orcutt's yellow pincushion at Ballona Lagoon Marine Preserve the ferries that shuttle across San Francisco Bay. Our sec- tion of coast has similar historic sites that could be included in the new designation: the Venice Beach House, Howard Hughes National Historic Site and several Native American sacred sites. Can you imagine hopping a ferry in Redondo Beach to Venice, walking along the beach to watch diminutive least tern males dance around their mates in a courtship ritual that is being described by a National Park Service ranger, then walking back to the Venice Pier for dinner, and fi nally ferrying back home to King Harbor? It's an intriguing vision that hopefully can become reality if this exciting new initia- tive is passed. Stay tuned! april/may 2016 13