This month marks the 40th anniversary of perhaps two of the most referenced events of the 1960s: the Manson Family killings in Los Angeles and Woodstock. Both have been reflected as the actions of out of control youth in a decade marked by cultural upheaval. Read more...

If you eat meat, buy animal products or do animal testing, beware: You're at risk for being bombarded by fake blood, flour bombs or even fire. Last week, People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals gave an unsuspecting group of children eating at McDonald's "unhappy meals" filled with rubber chickens dyed with fake blood, meant to criticize the chain's chicken-killing practices. Last quarter, the Animal Liberation Front took credit for firebombing UCLA researchers' vehicles, responding to UCLA's animal testing practices. Last year, Lindsay Lohan was hit by PETA's flour bombs because she wears fur. Read more...

As anyone who follows politics may have noticed, it is nearly impossible to listen to an Obama press conference and not be asked to accept that there is a "health care crisis" in our midst. In its eagerness to get reform passed, moreover, the administration has justified itself in ignoring the glaring problems with its health care "fix," relegating facts to the point of irrelevance. Read more...

In his article "Good riddance to Undie Run at UCLA" (Aug. 3), Saif Ansari wrote, "I don't care that Undie Run is now a part of UCLA culture" and that "Undie Run is about recklessness and abandon." I would ask you why you do not care about a part of UCLA culture and strongly disagree with you on the latter point. Read more...

Last month, the city of Santa Monica took a disappointing step backward in the fight for alternative energy by issuing a superficial ordinance that aims to reduce the visibility of existing solar panels. Read more...