Culture

In the midst of the holiday season, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I’ve been thinking about the nature of our traditions and the challenges we often face when engaging friends and family members during the holidays. Most of us, regardless of theistic or atheistic worldview, seek to conserve a number of …

It’s not unusual for police officers to be called to domestic violence scenes. I’ve responded to many such calls, both as a patrol officer and a detective. My first concern on arrival is the safety of everyone at the scene. Who, if anyone, is hurt? Does anyone need medical attention? …

We’ve just endured a difficult season here in Los Angeles County as the manhunt for Christopher Dorner has finally come to an end. Along the way, we lost several members of the law enforcement family. As Dorner committed murders, stole cars, attempted to hijack a boat and kidnapped a number …

I took my family to an early showing of Les Misérables on New Year’s Eve and had several thoughts following the excellent performances and cinematography of the movie. This post will likely include spoilers for some of you, but I thought the striking contrast between Christian notions of “grace” and …

The month of May provided yet another Memorial Day weekend to launch the 2012 Summer Season. This important weekend of remembrance was more than a seasonal marker in our yearly calendar. It was an opportunity for all of us to remember the sacrifices made by those who served or died …