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Joel B. Pollak

Joel B. Pollak

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Napa Earthquake Could Raise Wine Prices

Napa Earthquake Could Raise Wine Prices

The magnitude 6.0 earthquake that struck Napa in the early hours of Sunday morning may not have done much damage, relatively speaking. Yet several wineries reported extensive damage to existing collections of valuable vintages, as well as to winemaking infrastructure

Top 10 Earthquakes in California, by Magnitude

Top 10 Earthquakes in California, by Magnitude

The U.S. Geological Survey reports that there have been ten earthquakes in California stronger than magnitude 7.0 since the biggest ever recorded, the estimated 7.9 Fort Tejon earthquake, struck in 1857. By comparison, the Napa earthquake of 2014–a mere 6.0–hardly

State of Emergency in NorCal After Quake; 49ers Play On

State of Emergency in NorCal After Quake; 49ers Play On

California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency on Sunday, following a magnitude-6.0 earthquake that struck at 3:20 a.m. and was the region’s strongest in 25 years.  There were no reported deaths, though 120 people were reported injured, three

Honest Reporting: Time Magazine Spews Blood Libel

Honest Reporting: Time Magazine Spews Blood Libel

The media watchdogs at HonestReporting.com have caught Time magazine in a classic antisemitic blood libel, spreading the myth that Jews harvest organs from dead Palestinians.  The claim emerges in a video at Time.com about the Israeli military, which states: “in 2009 a

Fault Lines in L.A. Over New Subway Construction

Fault Lines in L.A. Over New Subway Construction

As residents of Northern California reel from the strongest earthquake in 25 years, debate rages in Los Angeles over how a buried tectonic fault might affect the path of a new subway line–or whether the fault exists at all. The

Abstraction, Unnerving: Matthew Carter's Scary Clowns

Abstraction, Unnerving: Matthew Carter's Scary Clowns

Geometric forms typically add a kind of serenity to art. Matrices, grids, and colors establish comforting patterns that draw the viewer into a contemplative state.  Not so Matthew Carter’s hellequinharlequinclown paintings, on exhibition at the Luis De Jesus Los Angeles gallery

Al Sharpton: Obama's Racial Pyromaniac

Al Sharpton: Obama's Racial Pyromaniac

Politico’s Glenn Thrush reports in this week’s edition of the magazine that Al Sharpton has become President Barack Obama’s “go-to man on race” in Ferguson and elsewhere. Thrush tells the story as one of Sharpton’s own reform and revival, dwelling on

5 Ways Hamas is Like ISIS

5 Ways Hamas is Like ISIS

On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu compared ISIS (Islamic State) and Hamas, calling them “branches of the same tree.” The Obama administration, in the person of Marie Harf, declined to do the same. Yet while Hamas is focused on

Giant Duck Arrives in Los Angeles

Giant Duck Arrives in Los Angeles

SAN PEDRO — Hundreds of onlookers gathered at the Los Angeles Waterfront to greet the world’s largest inflatable duck on its first visit to the West Coast of the U.S. as part of the local Tall Ships festival. “There it

Has the Moment Passed for Israel to Take out Hamas?

As a 24-hour extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas continued Tuesday, with a deal still elusive, it is becoming less clear that Israel can still count on the political will or international patience that would allow it to

With Israel Still Under Terrorist Attack, Obama Denies Ammo

With Israel Still Under Terrorist Attack, Obama Denies Ammo

President Barack Obama claimed that he “had Israel’s back,” and his supporters defended his record in 2012 by claiming: “No president in history has done more for Israel’s security than Obama.” Yet the supposedly “most pro-Israel president” even has clamped

Andrew Breitbart Vindicated by Brock's CREW Takeover

Andrew Breitbart Vindicated by Brock's CREW Takeover

Reports that David Brock, founder of Media Matters for America, is now taking over Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and incorporating it into his illiberal empire would have come as no surprise to Andrew Breitbart. Brock, whose Media