There is not one major institution in the United States that has any integrity or is not cowardly and corrupt. The carnage in Boston has proved that.

As tragic as the Newtown shooting is, it pales in comparison to deaths created by drunk drivers across the United States.

A Lodi man was zip-tied and detained by at least four Lodi officers early Friday morning after police suspected he took a new, popular type of drug known as bath salts.

Mitt Romney claims he was successful in business and created thousands of jobs. In reality, he was a mere loan shark.

February typically serves as a dumping ground for weak studio films that offer an easy alternative to “mainstream” audiences who don’t see Oscar bait, but this year has brought some welcome surprises.

I could go on a rambling, ill-tempered rant about the shocking lack of worthwhile films released in 2011. I could easily wallow in righteous indignation, and throw up my hands in disgust and defeat as I impotently curse Hollywood’s artistic bankruptcy and offer my own theories as to why last year saw the worst theater attendance numbers in 16 years. And I’d be right to do it. But this time of year, I prefer to ignore the crazed, rampaging elephant in the room and instead celebrate the few diamonds in the rough that kept me from completely losing my mind over the course of the past 12 months. So let’s get to it:

Just one review this week, as I didn’t make it to “My Week with Marilyn,” playing in limited release. A look at that will come next week, along with reviews of the wide releases “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” and, time permitting, “The Sitter.” The studios’ insistence on conducting a take-no-prisoners December blitz with their prestige pictures has left things a tad crowded for the next few weeks, but I’ll do what I can…

“In Time.” “The Three Musketeers.” “Footloose.” “Johnny English Reborn.” These are among the films now playing in multiplexes across the country. I find this roster to be strange and unsettling, as I have apparently been laboring under the misapprehension that we were supposed to be smack-dab in the middle of awards season. Silly me.

I’m generally cynical regarding the state of contemporary Hollywood filmmaking, but the fact remains that there are a number of “great” movies released each year. They may seem few and far between, but carefully crafted, engaging, four-star movies still don’t qualify as an endangered species in the modern studio system.

Corey Daniel sifts through a cardboard box from the dining room table in his Lodi home. He extracts a pair of brown, size 12 penny loafers.

Let's see, California's unemployment rate is around 11.5 percent. The state is about $42 billion in debt. Gangs, drugs and illegal immigration are increasing problems. And, our illustrious legislature is spending time worrying about the horrible evil of Styrofoam cups and plates — those dastardly purveyors of wickedness that, if allowed to continue their carnage of holding coffee and food, will destroy life as we know it on this planet. Bye-bye even more businesses and jobs.

Plans for a wine bar, annexation of property south of Harney Lane for a commercial and retail center, a liquor license for a new Japanese restaurant and a recycling center will all be before Lodi commissions tonight.

Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman famously said, "War is hell." The Korean War was certainly hell for Emerald Sayler, with one glaring exception. At least hell is warm.

Al Costa has been out of the armed forces for decades, but he can still vividly see the black smoke from fires and hear the concussive explosions from the Battle of Okinawa like they happened yesterday.

To get acceptance to our framed Constitution, there were 10 articles added.

Squareheads generally have serious issues with the current value of the dollar. When I was a boy, you could buy lotsa stuff for a dollar.

Inside a very busy The Party Guys Halloween Store on School Street, masks of President Barack Obama and former president Bill Clinton sell for $29.95, while accessories such as hippie earrings and dead skin can be had for less than $10.

Aug. 21: Ali al-Megrahi, the homicidal Libyan maniac convicted of blowing up Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, who killed 189 American citizens, flight crew and many on the ground, was released to the Libyan government because al-Megrahi has terminal cancer. He was welcomed by its patriot nuts as a hero.

It's compelling for me to write this letter because the issue is so heart wrenching. It's embarrassing to know this ridiculous matter got so far out of control on prayer.

The greatest threat to the security of our nation is drug use.

The rented silver Dodge Durango pulled up to Raley's in Galt, and several homeless men got out. They filed into the store, went to the pharmacy, and one by one asked to buy some Sudafed.

The crystal blue sky above Littleton, Colo., was so bright and clear it almost hurt my eyes. Pristine, angel white clouds hung motionless high above, evenly spaced as if an unseen artist placed them there with measured strokes.

"Lodi man to spend a decade in prison for a fatal DUI crash." I respond with a sense of frustration.

A year ago, Highway 12 was truly a corridor of death.