SAMANTHA BLONSStaff Writer When former United Nations weapons inspector Scott Ritter publicly criticized the Bush administration’s justification for military action in Iraq in 2002, pundits and politicians alike condemned him as unpatriotic, disloyal and bitter. When he repeatedly stated that the Iraqi weapons program had been sufficiently dismantled and posed no proven threat … [Read more...] about Scott Ritter in Santa Monica
Special Publications
Lady Wave Jessica Ross
NAOMI BYRDStaff Writer At first glance, her sweet and welcoming countenance makes it seem like Jessica Ross doesn’t have a mean bone in her body. That may be true, yet the second an opponent dare step on her court, prepare for an engaged and intense competitor. “I am really competitive,” Ross adds. “Not in a bad way, I just love competition.” The numbers don’t lie. Having … [Read more...] about Lady Wave Jessica Ross
Pep prof and Rwanda
BLAKE FRANKSStaff Writer Those who committed war crimes in the 1994 Rwandan Genocide will be punished, if Barbara Mulvaney has her way. The former Los Angeles assistant district attorney, who now works with the United Nations War Tribunal, is in the process of prosecuting 66 war criminals who allegedly committed crimes against humanity. The Rwandan genocide left nearly a … [Read more...] about Pep prof and Rwanda
Book review: “Split Creek”
KEYLA VASCONCELLOSStaff Writer For those who enjoy war novels with drama, “star-crossed romance” and politics, “Split Creek,” by V.O. Blum would be a fantastic pick. This novel is about camps in America for German prisoners during World War II. V.O Blum came to the Diesel bookstore in Malibu on February 26th, at 7 p.m. Around 20 people came to view Blum and an actor act out … [Read more...] about Book review: “Split Creek”
Book review: “An Alchemist with One Eye on Fire”
ELYSSA GAGEStaff Writer A masterful fusion of a poet’s fantasies, a man’s beliefs and a scholar’s knowledge. That is what Clayton Eshleman brings his readers in “An Alchemist with One Eye on Fire." Raised in Indiana, Eshleman spent the first years of his career excavating who he was. The answer came to him in a most unexpected setting: the Ice Age caves of the French Dordogne. … [Read more...] about Book review: “An Alchemist with One Eye on Fire”