Please note that this article was published on November 7, 2025. By the time you read this, prices may have increased and establishments may have closed down. I’ve been drinking for a long time, and it’s easily my favorite pastime. Unfortunately, drinking with friends, neighbors, and strangers has fallen out of style since the 2020 pandemic, and it seems to get worse by the day. The number one excuse I hear for not wanting to go out anymore is cost. “Minimum wage in Los Angeles is $17.87 an hour, and that barely covers one drink and a tip,” people tell me. Not surprisingly, the ones who say this usually think going out for a drink means going to Tower Bar...
My friend and neighbor back in Houston, Shane Patrick Boyle, died in 2017. His death was highly publicized because he started a GoFundMe to raise funds to buy insulin, which he couldn't afford at the time. He rationed the insulin he had and then died before he could buy more. This is what most articles online will say about him. But I'll always remember him as the founder of Zine Fest Houston and as an artist. Here's a comic of his that I've had for over 10 years now called "Happy New Year". It was published in his zine, "Shane (#8)", and only low-resolution scans of it exist on his private Facebook page. I always thought it was so beautifully...
Places to learn and play mahjong in Los Angeles: Lucky Bamboo Mahjong Club $10 monthly event, all ages welcome, RSVP required In-depth lessons for beginners or those needing a refresh Open-play for players who know how to play Website Instagram Mahjong Underground Free weekly event only available to those 21 and over Open-play with no dedicated lessons Instagram East Never Loses Lessons available at certain events Open-play available Website Instagram LA Mahjong League Lessons available at certain events Tournament-based gameplay Open-play available at certain events Website Instagram Mahjong Mistress Lessons available at certain events Open-play available at certain events Instagram This past Saturday, I won the Los Angeles Mahjong League Tournament at Chifa out in Eagle Rock. It was totally unexpected,...
On the west side of Los Angeles sits an infamous billboard on Santa Monica Boulevard above a YWCA. The billboard features a seemingly live digital numeric readout which displays the number of people who have died of smoking related illness and lung cancer in the United States of America. Every year on New Year's Eve, a group of Angelenos congregate beneath this sign and count down the seconds to New Year's Day as they all witness the billboard reset to zero. This video features their stories about what drew them to this location. This billboard has been displayed and updated since 1987. The first story from this video mentions Eric J. Lawrence, the local Los Angeles KCRW radio music librarian...
