Opinion

“AI does not replace fact-based stories. It depends on them. And it is the same fight we have had with Google over use of Courier content. They are not paying us. They are using us to provide information they cannot create. AI takes that one step further. That is what makes this moment so important. In the old model, publishers received traffic in exchange for access. In the new model, AI systems may collect, summarize and repackage information while sending far less value back to the people who created it.”

“The night Barack Obama was elected president, November 4, 2008, I sat around the TV with my two young daughters, 6 and 2, and shed a tear as the Obamas walked onstage to deliver his victory speech. There was a new feeling in the air, a sense of joyous, confident optimism. It was a great time to be an American. It seemed we had turned a corner, that we were moving closer to realizing the promise of our young country’s audacious, though flawed, founding principles. All that optimism seems impossibly naive now.”

“The Hollywood Palladium fronts on Sunset Boulevard. In 1982 a handful of single-story storefront businesses were attached to the east, ending at El Centro Avenue. The brain trust of our spontaneous crime syndicate determined that we could easily scale an eight-foot high chain link fence, hop up on a dumpster, and pull ourselves up onto the roof of the Palladium, then bust open an unguarded door and make a mad dash to see The Clash. I, a teenager just out of high school and still heavily fortified with intoxicating pure optimism, assumed everything would work out fine. Why wouldn’t it?”

“On Sunday we were assaulted by the garish, ‘Idiocracy’-esque ‘UFC Freedom 250,’ an 80th birthday celebration for President Trump and a lead-up to the June 24 kickoff of the weekslong ‘Freedom 250’ celebrations. The takeaway quote came from a despicable, racist Ultimate Fighting Championship guy, who declared on the streaming broadcast that former First Lady Michelle Obama was a man. If that doesn’t just personify where we’re at right now I don’t know what does.”

“Why do American companies create products that add danger even to the air they and the rest of us breathe? In war, at least, the weapons are for killing the enemy. But who is the enemy in the cities of America breathing smog? And who is spreading this smog in the air we breathe?”

by John Pixley Wow! What a difference a month makes! Make that a month and-a-half. Sure, I love all the activities at the Claremont Colleges. I always say the Colleges are one of the things that make Claremont such a great place in which to live. And in recent years, as my ability and energy […]

In 1976, Roger Ibbotson and Rex Sinquefield published their seminal work, “Stocks, Bonds, Bills, and Inflation: Year-by-Year Historical Returns (1926–1974).” Their study, nicknamed SBBI, was the first to provide reliable data on the historical returns of U.S. financial markets, and its impact was huge. Fifty years later, the updated SBBI now includes a full century of historical returns. The story it tells is remarkable and holds lessons for all investors.

“College graduations are the norm for most families. But not mine. Neither my mom nor dad attended a day of higher education. Same for their parents, and on and on, back as far as the eye and 23andMe can see. In fact, my maternal grandfather — who built an upper middle class life for himself and his family in Glendora — made it only to the sixth grade.”

Ten years after Claremont lost its eminent domain battle against Golden State Water Company, the decision continues to affect residents, city finances, local politics, and the broader debate over who should control the community’s most essential resource.

“Part joyful punk rock travelogue, part later-in-life love story, Bill Sassenberger’s second book, ‘Wanderlust And Welcome Mats: The Broccoli Chronicles,’ is ultimately a celebration of art, family — chosen and otherwise — and a practical thirst for adventure that blossoms as he journeys through the U.S., Canada, and Europe on a decidedly DIY book tour.”

“As the years stack up and I am ever more grateful for my many blessings, there is increasing meaning to be found in relationships that have stood the test of time, distance, and trauma. Life has become more precious, and these moments that may have passed without acknowledgement in my younger days — like Monday night with Collin at Dodger Stadium — are deeply cherished. I think they call it being “in the moment,” and I’m on the hunt for as many moments as I can find while I’m still in the game.”

An early rendering of the proposed Village South development illustrates the walkable, mixed-use vision supporters say is at risk under the developer’s revised proposal. Image/courtesy of City of Claremont

“Recently I joined some 475,000 other music fans for the 56th New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. In my previous life as a bulletproof traveler with bottomless enthusiasm and unlimited stamina, my only advance thought would have been how to cram in as much music and fun as possible into the five days I had in the Crescent City. But that was then, and this is 62.”

“Claremont’s Specific Plan for the Village South development was approved in 2021, the tract map in 2023. This was after very extensive deliberations by Claremont citizens and city staff, along with the developers. The developers now contend they can make substantive changes without amending the environmental impact report. I hope the city will receive many letters and emails by May 22 in support of requiring an analysis of how the proposed changes will affect the project.”