Back in the saddle

Having returned from a week-long trip to the Midwest to see family and friends, as well as seeing the Cubs beat up on the Cards, 8-2, in Wrigley Field, I'm updating my Web site and blog today - National Cheese Day. Then, again, every day is Cheese Day for me! (Though, I know I should cut down on cheese intake.)

It was refreshing to take a break from the bleak news - hurricanes, earthquakes (I felt one here in L.A. Monday night), wildfires (I hear my Earthwatch research site may have burned in Canada), saber rattling with North Korea and Iran - but that news can't be ignored. What is particularly annoying is the ongoing climate warming denial waged by the current administration. Check out these two article in the New York Times this week. This one is a good primer on climate change: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/climate/what-is-climate-change.html?emc=edit_clim_20170919&nl=&nlid=14909781&te=1&_r=0 and the other one in the "Science Times" section Tuesday about human behavior towards climate change: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/18/climate/climate-change-denial.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=5&pgtype=sectionfront

Another topic popped up on my radar this week, too - wildlife trophy hunting. I went to see the new, disturbing documentary, "Trophy," shown at the Laemmle Monica Film Center, the only one in the entire Greater L.A. area bold enough to show it. I will be reviewing that this week, so look for it at my Web site here. At the same time, my new print issue of

"National Geographic" magazine has an article about the trophy hunting debate, "Should We Kill Animals to Save Them?" That article is online at: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/10/trophy-hunting-killing-saving-animals/

I'm also in the midst of watching Ken Burns' and Lynn Novick's 10-part documentary, "The Vietnam War," being shown now on PBS. I'll be reviewing that soon, too. I'm fulfilling my promise to Ken to watch it after I briefly met him and others at a restaurant after hearing them talk about the documentary during a panel discussion and showing of excerpts in late July!

And I'll be updating "The Annoying List" this week!