The humiliation of United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Warsaw last week was a good thing. The ancient Greeks, exercising their demonstrated ability to synthesize defining characteristics, had a word for it: hubris. Hubris is when one develops an extreme and unreasonable feeling of confidence in a certain course of action that inevitably leads to one’s downfall when that conceit proves to be based on false principles.

Pompeo was in Warsaw for a “summit” arranged by the US State Department in partnership with the Polish government to discuss with representatives of sixty nations what to do about the fractious situation in the Middle East. In advance, he promised that the meeting would "deliver really good outcomes." The gathering was initially conceived as a “war against Iran” precursor, intended to pull together a coalition against the Persians, but when it became clear that many of the potential participants would balk at such a designation, it assumed a broader agenda concerning “Peace and Security in the Middle East.”

Some of my best friends are colored. All of them are, actually.

And so I introduce you to Lowell Thompson, artist — indeed, psycho-realist, as he calls himself — recovering ad man and “colored person.” He’s also, you might say, the king of irreverence and political incorrectness, but this is only because he’s also a dragon slayer. The dragon is racism. There’s no way to engage with race politely, but there’s a way to yank the seriousness out of it.

I am responding to recent publicity about this byproduct of oil/gas drilling, AquaSalina being used by the Ohio Department Of Transportation (ODOT) on our roads.

Unfortunately, I have a history with this product and this company. In 2012 I was sued by the maker of AquaSalina in a $1 Million SLAPP lawsuit for trying to warn my city and community members that this product was potentially dangerous to us and the environment. At the time, I didn’t have access to the product to test it myself. But, after learning about the oil/gas drilling process and the hazardous byproducts it generates, I used common sense to deduce that this solution could not be good. There are radioactive elements at the 4,000–5,000 foot depth of the wells drilled in my community. Basic physics tells us that when you force chemicals, sand and water down at high pressure, radioactive stuff is going to come back up along with what you pushed down. I wish many of the lawyers, judges and electeds involved in my case had also used deductive reasoning.

Fresh from that championship season, A Noise Within’s Spring 2019 season blasts off with a must-see modern dress Othello that demonstrates why the Pasadena classical repertory theatre company just won the coveted Ovation Award for Best Season. Shakespeare’s tragedy is on one level, of course, an extremely up close and personal tale about betrayal, as well as about friendship, romance, sex, marriage and, but of course, that “green eyed monster”: jealousy.

But the Bard’s interracial angle plus the play’s power elite milieu elevates Othello to the ranks of Shakespeare’s 38 plays that are full of social commentary. And the modern dress plus non-traditional gender and ethnic casting components in ANW’s production - reportedly award-winning director Jessica Kubzansky’s stroke of genius - adds a whole new 21st century dimension to this drama penned in 1604. The dramatis personae who belong to the armed forces wear contemporary-looking camouflage and dress uniforms emblazoned with “fruit salad” medals, ribbons, etc., while civilians, including Venice’s officials, are garbed in 2019 plain clothes (all courtesy of costume designer Angela Balogh Calin).

Contact: Mimi Kennedy (315) 246-7333; Harvey Wasserman (614) 738-3646 – solartopia@gmail.com; Myla Reson (310) 663-7660  – myla.reson@gmail.com

Dear Gov. Newsom,

We join hundreds of other Californians, including Sen. Ben Allen and San Luis Obispo Mayor Heidi Harmon, who are calling, writing, faxing and e-mailing, asking that you take action at Diablo Canyon to protect our safety and economic future. Under PG&E’s current bankruptcy and criminal proceedings, your position gives you wide ranging powers to act.