Culver City Observer -

Can I hear three cheers for Edward Snowden and U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon who recently ruled that the National Security Agency’s efforts to collect telephone data probably infringed on the Fourth Amendment . . . ?

Mr. Snowden has reportedly contacted Brazil for permanent asylum in return for our government's secret papers regarding that South American country.

Supposedly Snowden has another million pages of classified unreleased documents. Rumor has it the administration will not prosecute Snowden if he returns and doesn't release any more embarrassing papers.

From the file labeled "I cannot believe it," Chinese workers' wages have gone up so much in the last five years that many Western companies have been shutting their operations and moving to Vietnam, Cambodia or India.

And from the "Say it isn't so" file, GlaxoSmithKline will no longer pay doctors to promote its drugs. This practice cost the pharmaceutical company a $3 billion fine.

I am hopeful the suggestion made to our Congresswoman Karen Bass will move ahead. She thought having Nelson Mandela on a United States postage stamp should be pursued.

A U.S. District Judge ruled in San Diego that a giant cross on Mount Soledad must be removed by April 2014. First erected in 1954, the 43-foot cross was determined by the judge to violate the separation of church and state provision in the Constitution.

Glendale Unified School District is paying Geo Listening, a Hermosa Beach company, $40,500 per year to have its computers check various public posts on social media accounts of its students. Recently Ventura Unified School Board enacted a similar policy. Geo Listening expects to monitor about 2,900 schools worldwide by the end of the year.

Eli Broad is donating $140 million to build a new art museum in downtown Los Angeles. It will house his 2,000 pieces and be called The Broad. The museum will be open later in the year and will be free.

Water thieves struck again in Northern California's Humboldt County. This time they forced an elementary school to close on Tuesday, Sept. 3rd. The Times-Standard of Eureka reported up to 20,000 gallons were stolen from a tank at Bridgeville Elementary School over the Labor Day weekend.

Southern California Edison says it needs at least $2.4 billion from ratepayers over the next seven years to compensate its shareholders. Between government agencies and the electric company, I will not have a dime to my name.

A little bird whispered in my ear that almost three million barrels are being loaded into the Keystone pipeline southern section for the January start. This oil will flow 485 miles from Cushing, Oklahoma to Texas. The balance of the project is under final review by the State Department.

I know some of my most loyal readers just so happen to be at the Culver City Police Station. I truly appreciate Chief Pedersen giving me the direct telephone number to a lieutenant whenever I need some answers to important questions. Well, someone please stop what you're doing and tell the chief to call me. It's very important. Maria, AKA The Wild Gypsy Lady, told me Don Pedersen will be elected Los Angeles County Sheriff. Right now Sheriff Baca's primary opponent was the under sheriff Baca fired, dismissed or let go. To me that's a reason to vote for neither, especially when we have a darn good candidate right here in Culver City.

The Brandeis Men's Group Los Angeles next meeting will be Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2014 at Veterans Auditorium, Overland and Culver in Culver City. The lox breakfast at 9 a.m. is free for first-time guests. Marty Sklar will discuss his 54-year career with the Walt Disney Company.

The Brandeis Group supports its mission, which is to foster fraternity among its members and to raise funds for medical research and scholarships at the university.

As you recall, I recently asked, Where is the Keystone pipeline? I thought the fastest way to get an answer was to call the Royal Canadian Mounted Police 411 number.

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