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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Obama, McCaine: More F22s Unneeded (Cuts to Thousands of Jobs in California)



Say Goodbye, L.A., to a Big Jobs Program...and a Really Bad-Ass Airplane

Sorry, I guess even a gay leftie still has an inner ten-year-old who loves cool jet fighters. Just look at it! I want one. Well, between the Air Force and the Navy, the U.S. military is getting 187 of them anyway. Truth be told, many experts believe the F-22 Raptor is a weapon in search of a mission, as it was designed to combat a never-built, advanced Soviet fighter.

The local angle is jobs. In California, contractors--the lead of which is Lockheed-Martin--claim 19,500 jobs will be lost as a result of the recent vote to ix-nay the ane-play. About 6,500 of those are workers working directly on the contract to supply the military with the ultra-fast, ultra-stealthy war birds. Another 13,000 in supporting jobs will be lost, they say. The job losses will begin to materialize this year, as the program winds down, with the bulk of pink slips to be issued next year when it ends altogether.


Award-winning blogger and former L.A. Times columnist
Robert Scheer calls Obama and McCaine brave for not supporting the military-industrial complex's biggest pet project, noting that while some in congress were ready to allocate hundreds of billions of dollars to keep the F-22 Raptor contract flying, there was no one on earth who could find $50 million to keep L.A.'s summer school sessions alive.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Yay! Everyone's Favorite ROLA Topic: Parking in WeHo!

Typical? An electrical sign flashes a warning about construction, while taking up a precious parking stall in West Hollywood one recent weekend. At the same time, there was ample space near a driveway a few feet away that was neither parking, nor firelane. Wah-wah.


Republic of L.A. has waited two weeks for the City of West Hollywood to respond to our questions about the elimination of a few dozen parking spaces in an alley off of Melrose Avenue, and more than 100 others inside of West Hollywood park for construction and "safety reasons," and their replacement with $10 valet-only spots. The old spots were free between 6-10 p.m.
Well, it turns out that Jake Stevens has gone to Washington for a new job. We wish him well.

Stevens was deputy for Councilmember Jeffrey Prang. He had been getting answers about the parking problems at West Hollywood park--an area that served as the only parking solution for many restaurant, bar, coffee house and 12-step meeting goers in the heart of the nation's most creative city--for Republic of L.A. since the issue first arised.
His replacement, Mike Haibach is now looking into the issue. But, instead of making you wait any longer for the information Republic of L.A. has been promising to bring you, we've decided to keep you in the loop as we investigate. That said; here is the text of an email we sent to Haibach today. We'll let you know what the response is as soon as it comes:

Hi Mike,

It was nice speaking to you this afternoon. BTW, do you have contact information for Jake Stevens? I'd like to congratulate him on his new job.

Below are emails between Jake and I. As you can see, Jake addressed the concerns about lost parking and the dubious manner in which the changes had been executed, even offering to review the citations that may have been erroneously issued during the transition. However, he did not mention--and regrettably, I did not ask about costs--that the free (between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.) spaces had been replaced by $10 valet-only spots.

That's a big deal. I have interviewed people for an upcoming piece who have given up on going to their A.A., Crystal Meth Anonymous and other 12-step meetings because they were so frustrated by the lack of parking that has resulted from the recent changes. Of course the truly dedicated recovering alcoholics and addicts are going to get to some meeting, somewhere, some how. But, it's probably the ones for whom just being able find or not find parking may be the difference between relapsing and not relapsing.

Additionally, I have spoken to one business owner who said business dropped by about 10 percent as soon as as the new parking regime was initiated; and it's stayed down. I have spoken to patrons of restaurants, coffee houses and bars who are also upset by the elimination of spaces they had relied upon for years. Here is a quote:


"I know ten bucks is nothing for people coming over from next door in Beverly HIlls, but there are a lot of people who live right here in WeHo, who are out of work like my boyfriend, and maybe me next week. We live east of Fairfax, and so we drive to go out for dinner at our Bossa Nova on Friday nights. It's where we met five years ago. I can't take him out for dinner and drinks and then pay ten dollars for parking. I just can't afford it."

Tim Cahill, patron at Bossa Nova on Robertson Friday, July 3 2009.



Mike, I would like to know what the city council's response is to this situation. If it's simply been an oversight and work will be done to find a solution, I'd like a timeline of how the issue will be addressed. Or, if it's going to be more complicated than than, I'd like to interview your boss. I've interviewed Jeff before, and I know the councilmember's heart is always in the right place, so I'm eager to receive a response.

Best,

Thom

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Exclusive Video Interview with Former Iranian Gov't Insider


A chilling insider's account of how the Iranian government works behind the scenes. In Part One of my interview with a woman we'll call Za-Za, because she fears retribution against her family still living in Tehran if her true identity were revealed, you'll hear what goes on behind the scenes in an ayatollah's realm.

The video is at OurLA.org, (<click) the new destination for deep-reporting in Los Angeles, founded by former Daily News editor Ron Kaye--not to be confused with Ron's blog RonKayeLA.com. This new site is a journalism-driven, multimedia website with all the bells and whistles. It promises to bring depth and weight to local online reporting. Thom Senzee and Repulbic Of L.A. are proud to be a small part of Ron's newest venture.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

They're Back!

Iranians have returned to the streets, not yet in as great of numbers as last week, but in the thousands.


Thursday, June 25, 2009

Axes. Chopping Young Iranians Down with Axes. Evil has a name: Khamenei

I don't care if you're a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim, an Atheist, Agnostic or Bhudist. Watch this video, then pray, chant, speak encantations, meditate or scream at the top of your lungs: The Iranian People need a Miracle today.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Past Fervor Over Child Pornography may be Culprit if Iran Protests Fail

(photo (c) The Telegraph, UK)

It may sound like a grand leap, but it's really not. Here's why:

Last year, European telecom partners Nokia Group and Siemens AG, of Finland and Germany, respectively, sold the government in Tehran sophisticated Internet-traffic surveillance and control (and manipulation) equipment under the auspices of helping it combat child pornography.


Who's going to argue with that?

Trouble is, now the European systems are being used to block information from entering and exiting the country, and thereby supporting Pres. Mahmoud Ahmadenijad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.


In fact, as reported in the
Wall Street Journal, thanks to Nokia's and Siemens' multi-million-dollar contract to help Tehran protect its citizenry against kiddie-porn, Iran's Internet control-and-capture system can even intercept, read, and alter (for disinformation and other purposes) anyone's (and presumably everyone's) Facebook updates, blogs, and twitter postings as they go out into cyberspace, then neatly pack the data back up and send them on their way--all within a nano-second.

That's the reason for the parenthetic use of the word "manipulation" in one of the paragraphs above. That capability is why some experts are saying Iran's Nokia-Siemens technology puts China's much ballyhooed Great-Firewall-of-China censoring program to shame as an Internet quashing instrument.


By the way, check out this paragraph from Nokia's Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) 20-F filing, and note the acknowledgment of U.S. sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Of course, Nokia is a Finninsh firm, and is therefore not bound to adhere to U.S. sanctions. But at least (thanks to Franklin Roosevelt's 1934 financial regulations regime) because it does business in the United States and sells stock here, the company had to go on record acknowledging that the United States considers the Iranian government to be a sponsor of terrorism.

In Nokia's own words, from its SEC filing...

" Sales in sanctioned countries—Devices & Services,

NAVTEQ and Nokia Siemens Networks

...We are a global company and have sales in most countries of the world. We sold mobile devices and services through Devices & Services and network equipment through Nokia Siemens Networks to customers in Iran, Sudan and Syria in 2008. NAVTEQ did not have any sales to customers in these countries from the completion of our acquisition of NAVTEQ on July 10, 2008 to December 31, 2008. Our aggregate sales to customers in these countries in 2008 accounted for approximately 1.6% of Nokia’s total net sales, or EUR 791 million. Iran, Sudan and Syria are subject to US economic sanctions that are primarily designed to implement US foreign policy and the US government has designated these countries as 'state sponsors of terrorism.'" (Nokia's full 20-f filing is here)
A final Thought:

When multinational companies and governments team up to protect the public from pictures of child abuse, it's always good to examine the companies' quest for profits, and the governments' drive to stay in power, and ask what the respective parties' real motivations are, and what unintended outcomes might arise.

Consider too, when dictators win, every child is an abuse victim...and so are their parents.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Mainstream American Media are Missing Big Stories in Iran. Case in point: Aussie reporter sees presidential militia siding with Mousavi supporters.

(c) Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Shahram Sharif
Embarrassing. Pathetic. Anemic. Clueless.

That' s how I see the U.S. mainstream media's coverage of what is happening in Iran. While some of the network's cable-cast and digi-cast television news shows are better than their online coverage, or at least the presentation thereof, judging by their homepages, you would think we were still in the early post-election stage of the developments in Iran. But we're not. We're in potentially pre-revolutionary stages. While most American correspondents seem to be staying behind hotel and office doors at the order of the Iranian government, Iranians with camera phones are twittering messages and images to the outside world.
HOWEVER, check out what ABC reporter, Robert Fisk saw when he disregarded the forced sequestration. Oh, by the way, this ABC is the Australian Broadcasting Corporation:


excerpted from :(LINK)

There were about 10,000 Mousavi men and women on the streets, with approximately 500 Iranian special forces, trying to keep them apart.

It was interesting that the special forces - who normally take the side of Ahmadinejad's Basij militia - were there with clubs and sticks in their camouflage trousers and their purity white shirts and on this occasion the Iranian military kept them away from Mousavi's men and women.

In fact at one point, Mousavi's supporters were shouting 'thank you, thank you' to the soldiers.

One woman went up to the special forces men, who normally are very brutal with Mr Mousavi's supporters, and said 'can you protect us from the Basij?' He said 'with God's help'.

It was quite extraordinary because it looked as if the military authorities in Tehran have either taken a decision not to go on supporting the very brutal militia - which is always associated with the presidency here - or individual soldiers have made up their own mind that they're tired of being associated with the kind of brutality that left seven dead yesterday - buried, by the way secretly by the police - and indeed the seven or eight students who were killed on the university campus 24 hours earlier.

Quite a lot of policeman are beginning to smile towards the demonstrators of Mr Mousavi, who are insisting there must be a new election because Mr Ahmadinejad wasn't really elected. Quite an extraordinary scene.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

New York's, San Francisco's Mayors Address the Media Ten Times More Than L.A.'s

Three Cities;
Three Mayors;
Two Frequent Communicators;
One 'Shy' Guy





Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has been known as being very visible, but suddenly the guy who has been dubbed by some 'Mayor Photoraigosa' hasn't much to say.

N
ew York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and San Francisco's Gavin Newsom have issued at least one press release for every regular business day of June this year, yet the mayor of America's second-largest city, Los Angeles, Ca. has only--get this--found not one issue of enough import to formally address the press with a news release. That's not to say there have been no statements or comments from the mayor in June, but nothing official--not even a press conference.

At the same time, Mayors Newsom and Bloomberg have been churning out news about issues facing their cities' residents. On one day in June alone, Newsom's office issued press releases in which the mayor chimed in on New Hampshire's legalization of gay marriage, commented on Princess Cruises' marking of its 40th anniversary by setting sail from San Francisco, made a fuss over the city's Sunday Streets program--and, announced the addition of KaiserPermanente to the menu of coverage choices in the City by the Bay's universal healthcare system.

For his part, Mayor Bloomberg issued no fewer than five press releases on a single June day, and like Newsom, has had something to say every day this month. Among the issues addressed: World Trade Center talks, restarting stalled construction projects in the city, National Peurto Rican Day Parade; mitigation of Canadian Geese (remember the Hudson, but don't hurt the geese --ed.); and helping New Yorkers in foreclosure.

To be fair to Antonio Villaraigosa, the other two big city mayors are facing election campaigns, and so need as much exposure as they can get. Newsom wants to be the next governor of California, and Bloomberg wants to remain Mayor Bloomberg.

Also, Chicago's and Dallas' mayors each have released only slightly more press releases than L.A.'s mayor. But it does seem that we should at least have more going on than Dallas, and really, even Chicago.





Thursday, June 11, 2009

Republic of L.A. gets City to Reconsider Parking Tickets


Republic Of L.A. got a lot of feedback on the Monday, June 8 post about ambiguous parking signage and what effectively turned out to be a parking-ticket trap near West Hollywood Park. I emailed all of the WeHo City Council Members a link to the post and got a prompt response from Council Member Jeffrey Prang's deputy, Jake Stevens. Addressing the subject line I included with my email to his boss, which referred to the situation as seeming to be a "sham" Stevens assured me in his initial email that a) there was no scam, and b) he would research the issue and get back to Republic Of L.A. with more information. He did get back to ROLA with some really valuable information, and a reiteration of there being no scam at play (it may seem like minutia, but it's important from my perspective to note that I used the word "sham," not "scam." The difference being, in my mind at least, that you can end up with an unintended sham, but a scam is always planned from the outset.) Here is the response we got from Prang's office via Mr. Stevens:

As part of Phase I of the West Hollywood Park Master Plan (which includes the construction of the new 44,000 square foot, state-of-the-art library, public meeting rooms, Friends of the Library space, a municipal parking garage with over 300 parking spaces, a 91-space parking garage and new tennis courts), the 20 parking meters in the Melrose alley are being eliminated for safety reasons since construction is going on in close proximity and to maintain a fire lane for the Fire Department.

The parking meters in the Melrose alley were removed and the curb painted red last Friday, June 5, 2009. Removing the signs was part of the work order but all the work could not be completed on Friday. The current signs are scheduled to be removed on Wednesday, June 10, 2009 and replaced with new signs that alert drivers that no parking in the alley is allowed.
The situation you reported is not the result of any deliberate attempt to mislead the public, but rather a delay in getting all the work completed in the alley as requested.

We will evaluate any requests submitted by individuals cited at this location during this time and will take appropriate action if we find that the citation resulted because drivers were confused by signs. In order to mitigate the loss of parking in the area during the library construction project, the City recently built a 113 space parking lot just north of the Public Library and a short walk from the Melrose Alley that is open to the public from 6:00 AM to 2:30 AM seven days per week.


Without wanting to diminish the response, which was comprehensive and detailed, not to mention promptly delivered--and all but promises to forgive any tickets that were wrongly issued during the weekend in question if the drivers ask for a review--it left out the one thing that seemed most important: Parking Enforcement's wanton combativeness with the public.

As you may recall or may want to re-read here, a central point of the post was the fact that the shift supervisor ended up hanging up on me after saying the signs didn't matter all that mattered was the freshly painted red curb. "If they parked in a red zone, they will be ticketed," were his exact words.

I asked Council Member Prang's deputy if it seemed proper to him for Parking Enforcement to dismiss a sincere phone call about an issue that was clearly unfair to citizens of and visitors to the city (especially during the Great Recession). His response to that final question was a real eyeopener.

It turns out that those little white Prius's with "City of West Hollywood Parking Enforcement" emblazoned on the side are operated by a private company: Serco Inc., a global parking and traffic enforcement contractor.

This brings up a whole new discussion and ripe fodder for future blog posts: Is West Hollywood or are similar cities really well served by these contractors that allow them to avoid building their own police forces, parking enforcement divisions, housing programs and many other services?

The military has fired Haliburton after that contractor reamed the taxpayers for untold billions after promising to do the job of supporting the troops on the battlefield "better, faster and cheaper."

But here's a better comparison: the City of Los Angeles Department of Water & Power charges its customers considerably less than Edison charges its customers. During the rolling blackouts of the early 2000s, DWP managed to keep the power on for everybody.

But don't take my word for it. Ask a Realtor how much value is added to a property simply by virtue of being in DWP service area. The reason is because buyers know they will pay smaller electric and water bills, even with recent rate hikes. Besides, when the power executives' bosses are elected officials, i.e., city council members, it's fairly easy to keep up pressure to keep rates down.

Note: The city also promised to consider doing more to communicate with more signage the availability of temporary parking north of Melrose Alley.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009


LAPD's Chopper Force Moving to Van Nuys Airport

Flight operations of the Piper Tech Hooper Heliport, LAPD's base of air operations, will temporarily relocate from its sprawling rooftop pads downtown to Van Nuys Airport. The move is part of construction happening at the downtown site.

Residents living in nearby Lake Balboa, Van Nuys, Encino, Northridge and Sherman Oaks neighborhoods have long battled against helicopter traffic originating from Van Nuys Airport (VNY); it will be interesting to see how they respond to the two- to three-month relocation of all LAPD operations to their backyard skies.

While LAPD is often said to have the largest non-military "air force" in the nation (and there is little reason to doubt it), I was surprised to learn, when I wrote a piece about cops' claim that they needed an air unit dedicated to supporting Valley-based operations, there is never more than one LAPD chopper patrolling the city from the air at any given time. That claim, of course, does not include emergency, or crime-scene situations, just general patrols.

Republic Of L.A. is waiting to hear back from the National Helicopter Noise Coalition, based in Encino, as well as Los Angeles World Airports, which runs VNY.

For its part the airport is offering this number for concerns from residents: 818-909-3529, as well as an 800 number for noise-specific complaints: 800-560-0010

Monday, June 8, 2009

Ambigous Parking Signage in WeHo Looks Like a Ticket Trap


There is an alley just north of Melrose Avenue between San Vicente Drive and Robertson Drive in West Hollywood. The alley is located behind several design showrooms and West Hollywood Park. What makes this alley special and beloved by locals (no, not that alley), is that it boasts a line of that most invaluable of Southern California's urban commodities--parking spaces.
Saturday, June 6, some friends and I drove to WeHo for an event near Robertson and Melrose. I found a single parking spot open in the Melrose-adjacent alley and parked.
But one of my passengers noticed something new. The curb had recently been painted red. There was no indication other than the brand-new, red-painted curb that anything else had changed in the alley.
Admittedly, a red curb might be enough to signal parking was no longer allowed. However, the were still dozens of signs--both signs mounted on tall poles over the alley, and smaller signs mounted on poles where there had once been meters--that indicated a four-hour time limit for parking.
Further complicating the matter was the fact that there were temporary plastic signs, many of which had fallen to the ground, that read "temporary: no parking 6/5/09." This was the 6th. The signs said "temporary no parking" for the previous day.
In addition, there were about three dozen or more cars parked in the alley without tickets.
Keep in mind, this is an area dense with restaurants, bars, a civic auditorium, a busy urban park, several community meeting facilities, and the largest design center west of the Mississippi. Needless to say, finding parking can be a nightmare.
Nevertheless, I left the parking spot and found another--four blocks south on Robertson in Beverly Hills, another city altogether--because I really don't like getting parking tickets. (I know, who does?)
It would have been a $70 ticket. I know because we saw one unfortunate driver's SUV sporting a "parking in a red zone" citation on his or her window.
Safely parked, I wanted to know if the situation was an oversight, and if informed, would the authorities do something to remedy the confusion.
I went to the Sheriff's station across the street and got a very snippy, sarcastic non-answer from a volunteer at the counter. Begrudgingly, I was given the after-hours phone number to West Hollywood Parking Enforcement. The shift supervisor on duty when I called at 6:55 p.m. listened to my description of the situation, which I delivered in much the same way via phone as I have here.
I asked if he planned to enforce the red zone on all of the drivers who had obviously been confused by the ambiguous signage, or wait to start ticketing after the incorrect signs were removed.
He said (and this is a quote): "If they're in a red zone, they will be cited."
But, I insisted, obviously there was confusion, and to penalize people who, during the Great Recession, were dining out and contributing to the local economy in other ways, and had parked in a place known to be legal for years, smacked of revenue-motivated entrapment.
I then informed him that I was no longer speaking as a concerned citizen, but now as a journalist. I asked the parking-encorcement shift supervisor if I could have his name, and if it was Parking Enforcement's intention to disregard the information I had provided about the confusing, new no-parking policy at Melrose Alley (click the play arrow at the bottom of the video image above to see what I mean about confusing signs and the red curb), and ticket everyone parked there anyway.
His answer: "I'm the shift supervisor; that's all you need to know. I'm not authorized to talk to the media." With that Mr. Supervisor hung up the phone. I called back, but my call went directly to voicemail. I left a message, but have yet to get a call back.
By my arithmetic, there were about $2500-$3000 in potential parking citations at the time I decided to move my car. If citations were being issued all night and day--all weekend in fact--the City of West Hollywood may have raked in many thousands of dollars--perhaps more than $10,000--courtesy of Parking Enforcement and their dubious citation policies.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

L.A. City Services to be Unavailable Every Other Friday


The AP is reporting that some city-government departments will shutter once every two weeks. Funny how these Band Aids are the best this generation can come up with. The savings will total about $100 million.

But really, how much will be lost by the lost spending power of the furloughed workers? I hear so many complaints about businesses being taxed too much, and thus not hiring people, but what about the fact that the city has about a quarter of a billion dollars owed in unpaid taxes. The Mayor has announced an amnesty program through June 30, and promised there will be an aggressive effort to collect on that money. Yet, the effort will only yield about $10 million.

This is one more rendition of the ongoing Baby Boomer shell game, which is actually so much more expensive--probably immeasurably more expensive--than just having been paying for a slightly higher straightforward tax regime. Or, maybe even a substantially lower, across-the-board flat tax with ZERO exceptions.

I know my conservative friends will say, liberals (like me) never met a tax they don't like. To that I say: At long last, let's just pay the friggin' taxes we need to pay as we go along; aren't we really paying more this way, anyway.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

L.A. Reporters Jailed in N. Korea Need Support of all Angelenos

There was no doubt in my mind today, as I sought to remedy my day-late (I don't post on weekends) posting to Republic Of L.A. with a meaningful new blog post: I would link to LA Observed. Why? Kevin Roderick has today's most important issue for the Los Angeles journalism community (and, in my humble opinion, that of the entire nation) front-and-center on his home page.
I'm speaking of the plight of two L.A. journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee. The two Current TV reporters are being held in North Korea and will face what will surely be a kangaroo court soon. Wednesday, there will be vigils, and I implore everyone to come out show strong support for these two.

The thing about a kangaroo court is it can be manipulated for good. If the Koreans see any potential gain in letting these innocent journalists go free, the court may "pardon" them for their "crimes."

Visit LAObserved for details on the vigils: http://www.laobserved.com/ Remember, if you show up for someone else's cause (hint, hint gay community), they will show up for yours.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Why Can't I Stop?!!


Might the next Super Size Me--the indie film that asked the question 'what would happen if someone ate only at McDonald's for a month--be called Add Shot Addict?

If so, I could be the star of such a cinematic indictment of Starbucks as the kiosk of chaos for so many who had never even drunk coffee before 2000. That was me. I used to say, "my coffee is my shower; nothing wakes me up like a steaming, hot shower in the morning!" Now, the shower is just enough to get me out the door, heading in a yet-to-be-caffeinated stupor to the temptress, the priestess, the baristas down the street.

The problem is I don't want to do it anymore! I don't want to spend four bucks a day on vente soy-vanilla iced (easy ice) or hot lattes.

Why not?

There's a recession. I'm a vegan. Soy milk will supposedly give me breasts (no doubt an urban legend from a worried dairy industry, but still...). I want to eat fruit in the morning, and the sugar and acid in my coffee means the fruit will ferment in my stomach unless I ix-nay the attay-lays.

So why not just stop going to Starbucks and buying the stupid latte?

I did. But then I went back.

I missed it all. I missed the anticipation of spotting the green-white-and-black insignia on the sign of each store as my car seemed to automatically glide into dock with the mother ship--I mean as I located a parking spot.

I missed the camaraderie. You know, that feeling of crossed-arm, patient impatience as you stand amid people with whom you at once have nothing and everything in common. I missed looking for the hotties in line. I missed judging the hottie factor of the person behind the counter. I missed the mild curiosity I experienced each time I waited for my drink to arrive at the comfortingly familiar palette-shaped bar. It's a curiosity that begs the questions, "will I have to enforce the your-drink-should-be-perfect-every-time rule posted on the wall at each store?" I rarely have, but I always wonder nontheless.

However, I didn't miss the four-dollar hit. I hate that hit. I even spent $25 on the "Starbucks Gold Club" card, which entitles me to 10 percent off of every purchase. I assume it's paid for itself by now. Although, I never really did the math. Still, I kind of feel like I'm vested financially in continuing to consume, or to be a connoisseur of, Starbucks--even if it is against my will.

Then there's that other urban legend: the one that we all promulgate when we (half-jokingly) tease each other that we're actually drinking crack. But shouldn't someone be asking seriously does Starbucks have a secret ingredient? For now, only the Preistess knows, and she isn't sayin'.

Monday, May 25, 2009

The Return of the California Republic may Mean the Demise of the Ballot Initiave Movement





AND REPUBLIC OF L.A. SAYS 'GOOD RIDDANCE'

Californians, and Americans hate taxes. Who doesn't? Every generation has complained about them. But with Proposition 13, one generation decided to do something about it. They decided "enough was enough." They decided only they mattered...only their moment mattered. They decided they would freeze their tax burden in time. To hell with the consequences, they said. We're mad as hell and we have the ballot-initiative process!

Bye-Bye Ballot Initiaves
Well, here's a prediction: The 1978 measure that froze property taxes--the taxes that pay for state education--may have begun a decades-long process that will ultimately limit access to the initiative process itself--if not eventually end it.


Imagine this: A populous decides, with the passage of a proposition (in this case Prop. 13), to stop their government from raising taxes. It also demands their government, oh I don't know, let's say the state government of California, have a balanced budget every year: No deficits allowed. The people also demand an endless ribbon of freeways, and limitless capacity for prisoners, and a three-strikes law that captures hundreds of thousands of non-violent offenders (for instance, anyone whose third strike was carrying a joint, which was a violation of probation for some other nonviolent crime--life in prison baby!) Then, when a Great Recession hits (as it has) and tax revenues go down as a result, the state starts letting prisoners go because it can't house and feed them all. The state also stops supporting destitute schizophrenics who go off their medications as a result.

Let's not forget the hundreds of new police officers who won't be hired to replace retiring ones. Can you say crime wave? Then of course there's the fire fighters who won't be hired either. Can you say burn baby burn?

At the same time, poor children, whose only square meal is the one they get at school, and the only medical care they get is paid for by the state, start failing at school because of cutbacks in services. Poor: it's that synonym for illegal immigrant in the minds of many taxpayers, even though there are PLENTY of natural-born Americans who grow up in poverty...a lot more than some would like to believe.

You be the Politician
Now, imagine you’re a politician holding a statewide job in California, and you can only have two terms in office. The first term you have to learn where everything is and how Sacramento works. The second term you have to figure out what your next job will be, and how to get the funds and support to get their, rather than getting good at fulfilling the obligations of your office so that your record will get you re-elected.


Now add these things to the fact that, if you're a politician in California, the budget crisis is your fault even if you just got there. The recent raising of the sales tax is your fault. The state of public education is your fault. The fact that it takes months to pass a budget bill is your fault, because no one wants to be the politician who voted for raising a tax that will balance the mandatory-balanced budget, or who had to call for the laying off of teachers or the closing of mental-health facilities.

So what got us here? Special interests whose sole priority is to lower all taxes all the time regardless, REGARDLESS, of the consequences, have applied sophisticated, focus-grouped marketing power to ballot-initiative campaigns, amping them up with manipulated populist fury. I mean come on, how hard do you think it is to get someone made about paying taxes and convincing them that they pay too much. Add some random (and often completely wrong) statistical anecdote or rankings and guess what? We’re mad as hell, and we’re not going to take it anymore!

The Catch!
Here’s the catch, eventually everyone gets painted into a corner. We’re in that corner today, 31 years after Saint Jarvis gave a generation of Californian’s the power to freeze their property taxes in time. Now, however, the generation that benefited from Proposition 13 is becoming a small minority. Now, the cuts are coming and everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY, will be feeling the real, long-deferred consequences of that self-centered revolt of the Me Generation, i.e., Prop. 13, in the form of higher crime rates, worsening roads, more mentally ill on the streets and believe it or not, even worse public education.


What will we do? We’ll either grow up, shut the you-know-what up and stop whining about “high” taxes and just pay the price of living in a civilized, modern world. Oh yeah, what about the loss of income Californians will suffer as a result of paying a realistically priced state tax bill?

Okay, let’s see, before the crisis our sales tax was 8.25 percent. Remember, if we all just paid less than $40 per year more in state income taxes, we wouldn’t need the new sales tax of 9.25 percent (a figure that includes all county and district sales taxes as well). I’m officially a middle-class earner in California, and my state income tax last year was less than $300. Is that really so bad? I can’t help but wonder how much money is spent by companies, lobbyists, special interest groups, in their efforts to eliminate taxes. And, I wonder just how big the get-out-of-paying-taxes-at-any-cost industry in this state is. I wouldn’t be surprised if that figure is equal to the amount of taxes that could have led to averting the compounded revenue-shortfall mess the state has found itself in now.

Don’t be surprised if Republic Of L.A. researches those questions.

But more importantly, don’t be surprised if liberal, moderate, and even conservative politicians realize the corner they’re in can only be overcome by applying well-funded sophisticated, focus-grouped marketing techniques to one more ballot initiative…one that ends the easy access to the initiative process itself, and returns some power to the idea of a California Republic. Remember, in a republic, the people elect other people (politicians) to run government on their behalf, so that they don’t have to vote on every single matter directly.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

The Red Building Cometh


Adding another 400,000 square feet to the already monumental space of the two existing buildings of the Pacific Design Center (PDC), the new "Red Building" will complete the triumvirate of edifices promised when the old, blighted rail head property was first redeveloped in 1975.

While it will have taken 35 years for the vision of the original structures' architect, Cesar Pelli, to finally be consummated when the project is completed next year, it will not look the way originally expected. In fact, as first proposed the three buildings would have had a very 1970s, post-modern totality in their exterior aesthetic, as this was the plan as I have been told:

The Blue Building (aka, the Blue Whale):
A long, blue horizontally oriented cylindrical and rectangular blue building encompassing a million square feet. It was built as expected, in spite of a lone holdout--a business called Hugo's Plating--which occupied a postage-stamp parcel of land outside the sleek grand entrance on Melrose Blvd.

The Green Building:
A green pyramid. One could argue that the Green Building is a pyrimad. But it's really pyramid-esque. It's actually more like an upside down pyramid with it's point dipping into a giant shoebox. My favorite part of the Greeen Building is the back wall of the new parking structure that came with its construction in 1988. The structure is a ultra-pale green which, with its several floors of tree-filled terraces rising over the classical WeHo cottages and bungalos, makes me feel cool just by looking at it even on a hot August day.

The Red Building, which I will attempt to give an aka to now, that being The Giant Letter Opener
However, the original plan would not have rendered so apt a nickname, because it called for the final structure at the Pacific Design Center to take the most elemental geometric shape of all time...the sphere. Yes, the red building was expected to be a big round ball 35 years ago.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON PDC:

I believe the City of Los Angeles and the City of West Hollywood; the State of California and the U.S.A are lucky to have been graced by the work and talent of Mr. Pelli, who also designed the renowned Petronis Towers Kuala Lumpur--the first structures to snatch away the from the United States the mantle of home of the tallest buildings in the world--on all three buildings.

I always think of the made-for-tv movie, lipstick, starring both Hemmingway girls, as well as a Jeep CJ-7, and the Blue Whale--all four icons of my childhood.

While the 1990s brought vastly improved landscaping and outdoor public spaces and art, as well as the MOCA cube (actually an annex of the "real" Museum of Contemporary Art, whose primary space is located downtown), it's the massive color-changing lightscapes that adorn the the Blue Building's facade.

However, it is the 1970s, 1980s, and the current decade (has anyone figured out what we're calling this decade yet?) whose stylistic signatures will forever live on in the heart of the nation's most creative cities.

Friday, May 15, 2009

L.A. City Council Adopts Resolution to End Torture of Gays in Iraq: Republic of L.A. Interviews Rosendahl


I
n an impassioned presentation, which included the testimony of Hossein Alizadeh, from the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, L.A. City Council Member Bill Rosendahl (pictured to the right), introduced a measure to urge President Barak Obama to demand action from the Iraqi government to do more to stop the systematic torture and murder of gay men in that country.
“I was extremely gratified with the vote, which was unanimous with 12 members present,” Rosendahl told Republic Of L.A. “And I want to give special recognition those members who spoke with great passion: Council members [Wendy ] Greuel, [Herb] Wesson, [Tom] LaBonge, [Tony] Cardenas, and [Richard] Alarçon.”
Rosendahl said the entire council chambers was moved by the information presented by Alizadeh, who is Persian (from Iran).
Iran’s torture, mutilation and murder of gays is institutionalized by court sentences of execution as punishment for homosexuality. There, executions are carried out en masse in soccer (football, for the rest of the world) stadiums filled with jeering spectators.
One assumes the same would be happening in Iraq without American funding and the presence of U.S. media. For now, it’s all unofficial—carried out by civilians, or police in plain clothes.
“The IGLHRC has more than 600 documented cases of murder of gays,” Rosendahl said before the vote, which created an official Resolution issued by the City of Los Angeles condemning the Iraqi situation, and demanding action to protects gays in the Muslim nation.
“Some folks misinterpret the Koran,” said Rosendahl, who insists his research shows no condemnation of gays by the prophet Muhammad. “They believe they have to kill their own child if they are suspected of being gay.”
Rosendahl’s measure went beyond the condemnation of some Iraqis’ behavior.
“I went further on this and amended my motion, saying we need to get our president up to snuff, by saying our president needs to make a statement condemning the inaction by the Iraqi government to stop the torture and murder of gay men.”
According to Rosendahl, tough-looking labor union leaders present in the gallery of the council’s stately chambers we’re seen to be clearly moved, some with tears in their eyes as practices, such as the stitching up of the anuses of gay Iraqi men, who are then filled with liquids and solids until their internal organs literally explode.
“I asked for a show of hands from the audience, and everyone showed their support for the resolution,” said Rosendahl.
Asked why a local resolution matters, Rosendahl said this:
“We are the second largest city in the United States of America. We unite and speak up for something, believe me, Washington listens—and so does the rest of the world.”
Past City of Los Angeles resolutions include support for the recognition by Turkey and the world community of Armenian genocide, and opposition to the invasion of Iraq.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

L.A. City Council Votes to Urge Obama, Congress to Demand Iraq's Gov't. Stop the Murdering of Gay Men

Councilman Bill Rosendahl's gut-wrenching presentation about the way gays are slaughtered and tortured in U.S.-backed Iraq in Council Chambers provokes tears and anger from a mass of tough union leaders (there for labor issues), regular citizens of Los Angeles, and fellow council members. Visit tomorrow for an interview with Councilman Rosendahl I conducted today, minutes after the 12-0 vote in favor of his resolution....and find out why it matters on the world stage.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

"Our Seats Suck" .................................................................................. - IMAX Staff Introducing Star Trek


(Photo courtesy innersource.com)

So, my friend Josh and I came out of the closet to each other in the line to see Star Trek at the IMAX at Universal Studios last weekend. Yes, we admitted to each other that we were both, indeed, closet Trekkies.

We spent a solid 45 minutes in line discussing the aesthetics of the 1960s Star Trek series, vs. the 1970s animated series, vs. the decidedly Clinton-era sensibilities and aesthetics of the 1990s Next Generation, all the while nursing our anticipation of getting reacquainted with NCC-1701 (that is, the USS Enterprise for non-Trekkies) face-to-face on a megalopolis-sized IMAX screen (hopefully one that would wrap around the periphery of the theater, as we both believe we have experienced and some--but not all--IMAX venues in our lifetimes.

Now, however, I'm not sure I have actually seen an IMAX theater with a wrap-around IMAX screen (feel free to comment and educate me if you know the answer). Josh says he definitely has in Boston, in seats that recline. But, I'm wondering if it was actually a planeterium showing a film in IMAX that he actually saw. But I digress...

Once inside the theater, we were a little disappointed that the screen was indeed not at all curved. Instead it seemed almost bluntly flat, and somehow only sort of gigantic. The fact that the bottom sixth or so of the screen was obscured by the heads of the people in the rows ahead of us made the "sort-of" qualifier worse. We knew that either the film itself would be marginally obscured by those heads, or that the only sort-of gigantic screen would not be utilized by the projector anyway. The latter turned out to be the case.

The worst came, however, when a staff member announced that the sold-out crowd should leave toute suite to accomodate the midnight showing, followed by an acknowledgment that the theater's seating was uncomfortable. It went something like this:

"...as you leave, please take your trash with you; ushers will greet you at the exits with plastic trash bags. Also, we have been hearing that our seats are not as comfortable as we would like. The good news is we just got approval for a funding request to buy new seats, so be sure to come back again later this summer when we will have comfortable seating. Now, enjoy Star Trek!"

I guess the bad news didn't need mentioning. But I'll mention it anyway: The only thing missing from the seating "devices" at Universal's IMAX Theater, for now anyway, is the buckets of water, the rags for stuffing down moviegoers throats, and Dick Cheney to oversee the torture of sitting still in a hard-surfaced, straight-back plastic chair for two and a half hours.

Still, the movie was so good, in this humble out-of-the-closet trekkie's opinion, that it was worth it in the end.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Hubble Space Telescope Changed Everything; Watch Online, Last Mission to Keep 'er Goin'



Watch a live, six-hour (or at least parts of it) webcast of STS-125, Monday, May 11, at 12:30 p.m. PDT at spaceflightnow.org, hosted by Robert Crippen, former space shuttle astronaut, who will give viewers truly unprecedented access and a virtual presence of nearly every aspect of a shuttle launch and spacewalk.

The mission is to further improve the Hubble Space Telescope, and refit it to survive another four to five years. The web event is unique for a couple of reasons. First, Crippen, who has performed many extra-vehicular activities (EVAs), or spacewalks, will give special insight into this, the last shuttle mission scheduled to work on the space telescope. Second, the show will offer full-length, live coverage of the entire operation, which involves hundreds of people on the ground, during an uninterrupted continuum, with no edits or censoring for national security reasons. Presumably, NASA will have hidden away all the really cool stuff that nobody else has. (LOL).


What's so important about Hubble, anyway?

The big answer you will usually hear is that Hubble has helped us understand where we come from by looking back in time through space, getting us closer and closer to the Big Bang. However, I honestly think the big thing that people really care about is closer than that. I think Hubble's big story has been the finding of planets, and with it, finding that it is more likely now than ever before that we may one day meet E.T.


Before the Hubble Space Telescope Launched with it's bad case of astigmatism (a mirror had been ground with an imperfection a fraction of the diameter of a human hair), there was no evidence that planets existed outside our Solar System.

In fact, there were credible astronomers who said it may be likely that our star system was an aberration--unique and alone--in having a system of regularly orbiting planets. Without planets outside our Solar System, forget about life elsewhere.

However, since the advent of Hubble, and the addition of its corrective lens (yes, it's a giant contact lens), astronomers have discovered nearly conclusive evidence of thousands of planets around hundreds of stars in our galaxy, intimating the likelihood of billions of similar results possible throughout the universe.
----------
As a refresher, a star system--such as the Solar System (Sol being the name of our star, which we call the sun), is a system of planets or other bodies orbiting a star or group of stars. It turns out that many if not most systems are binary star systems, or systems with two suns at their centers.

But, I digress.

A galaxy is a gigantic conglomeration of billions of stars, planets, and innumerable other bodies, such as the Milky Way Galaxy, in which our planet and Solar Sytem live. The Universe is, of course, everything in the cosmos (cosmos is the everything of everything), in which billions of galaxies and untold trillions of stars reside. I know; it makes me fell dinky too.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

First Gay Supreme Court Justice?

Will Prof. Kathleen Sullivan (pictured, center; photo courtesy Georgetown Law School), who teaches law at Stanford University be the first openly gay nominee for the highest court in the land? Politico.com is reporting a push by some prominent gay and lesbian advocacy groups are pushing for the president to make up for his failure to appoint any (openly) gay men or women to his cabinet by doing so to the bench of the United States Supreme Court.

If he does, it may be the most controversial thing the new president has done to date. There is a potential corollary to Bill Clinton's effort to end discrimination of gays and lesbians in the military at a time that was later deemed too early, and in a manner that was too visible. The end result was one of history's worst "compromises:" the policy known as (and still in effect) Don't-Ask-Don't-Tell.

However, there is no way to time a Supreme Court opening and no way to fill a vacancy on the high court in a discrete manner. It will be interesting to how Obama acts. If he makes a bold move, such as nominating Prof. Sullivan, who is a lesbian, or fellow Stanford law professor, Pam Karlan, who is also a gay woman, it will put this president down in the history books for one more first...and why not; it's beginning to feel like the 21st Century has finally arrived.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Newspaper Warns Fellow Journalists: Our Lives are in Danger


Downed Pakastani Reporter, Musa Khan Khel,
Slain by Taliban in Late Feb.


Pakistan was once a beacon of hope for democracy in the Muslim world, and perhaps it still is. Until very recently, it was also a country with a solidly free press. Even under military dictator Pervez Musharraf, the media enjoyed surprising freedom. And perhaps it still does, but only among journalists who possess great courage, and willingness to give their lives for the story.
The wanton neglect of foreign policy toward Pakistan by the U.S. during most of the post-9/11 era has yielded just the rotten fruit of which thoughtful diplomats, such as Former Sectys. of State Madeline Albright and Warren Christopher have warned: a failing nuclear-armed state, which threatens to be overtaken by none other than the Taliban.

The Bush administration's so-called Pakistan policy was a one-dimensional, one-dictator relationship. As Vice President Joe Biden said when he has still a senator, serving on the Foreign Relations Committee, "We don't have a Pakistan policy; we have a Musharraf policy."

Musharraf is no longer the self-appointed president/despot, but the current government, while apparently more law-abiding (although probably only nominally so) has been mostly impotent to stop the Taliban from taking over entire regions of the country. True to form, as soon as they're in, women are thrown into bondage, and journalists are killed--or at least stifled.

Here's the latest warning--not so much a story, but a direct message to any reporters trying to tell the truth in Pakistan--from Pakistan's English-language daily newspaper, The International
News:

Warning to journalists
Saturday, May 02, 2009
The Taliban have made it clear they have every intention on clamping down on the right to express opinions – or even merely to report facts. They have warned that certain journalists were promoting western ‘propaganda’, and that if they did not refrain from doing so those publishing ‘lies’ would be tried in Qazi courts in areas controlled by the Taliban. This threat is not a hollow one. Journalists in Swat and elsewhere have complained on constant harassment and intimidation by the Taliban. Some, like Musa Khan Khel, who was shot dead in Swat in February, have apparently paid with their lives for their attempt to simply perform their duties and tell the truth as it unfolded before them. We still do not know who killed the TV reporter, and this failure to apprehend his murders or those of others who died before him surely puts others too at risk.

The Taliban, quite evidently, want to crush all freedom to voice opinions critical of them. They have made this quite clear. To do so they are willing to resort to the crudest of tactics, the worse threats possible. They must not succeed. The fact that so few are willing to speak out openly against them – in parliament, on TV talk shows, in the Urdu-language press – shows they may be winning the battle to control minds and thoughts. Citizens and authorities must act together to prevent this, for such a victory could be even more potent than any gained on the ground where territory is fought over between the militants and our armed forces.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

H U N G : HBOs New Envelope Pusher Films at my Job

Imagine my astonishment when I walked into my office today and found that, for some very odd reason, the newspaper I work for--The San Fernando Valley Business Journal--had gone through an overnight name change to become the Detroit Metropolitan Business Journal. That's what the letters spelled out on the gray partition that greets me every day as I approach the office from the mezzanine-level lobby.

I almost didn't notice when I swung open the glass door, but the words "San Fernando Valley" had been replaced by "Detroit Metropolitan." Quite economically, the "Business Journal" part was unchanged.

In most places in America, I might have rubbed my eyes and wondered if was being punked. "Okay, where's the camera; where's Ashton...oh wait; I'm not famous," I might have said to myself. "Then I'd have defaulted to the other possibility: "I must have fallen through a cosmic wormhole into an alternate reality: Detroit (funny, I'm a business reporter here too)."

However this being L.A., I instantly realized the extra-busy lobby I had walked right through, without really noticing how extra busy it was, had probably been artificially populated with, well, extras.

Indeed, it turned out our building had been scouted as a location for a new HBO series that will run this summer. It's called HUNG, I learned. And, it's about a guy whose personal and professional lives are in the toilet, when an old high school gal pal helps him decide to use his one big asset to make new opportunities. No really.

And, it's called HUNG.

Oh yeah, I already siad that. Here's a link to HBO's website for the new show, which is still in production. It stars Anne Heche, of whom I think I got a little glimpse (and caught on the video above, so please click play), as well as Thomas Jane, playing the lead role, of Ray Decker.

This should make coming into the office more interesting for a few weeks, if not a little inconvenient. But, this is the home of show business, and I, like most Angelenos, am happy to support the industry and stem the tide of runaway production, even if I have to wait until I hear the word "CUT!" before I can cross somebody's set to go home for the day.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Michelle Bachman: The Once and Future Dunce

Michele explains it all.

You've got to feel sorry for Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minnesota): All the pieces are there for her to be a sort of ready-for-prime-time, mainstream version of the ghastly Ann Coulter.

Congresswoman Bachmann doesn't frighten little children--so far as we know. She's extremely telegenic (with the TV on mute). She's an elected official, whereas Coulter is just a shock-schlock "author" who's usually peddling a book at the same time she's damning everyone from Democratic presidential candidates for their "French manicures" to the wives of 9/11 victims for supposedly exploiting their "exquisite grief."

Yes, Coulter knows how to pick her victims to make her look savage and screechy. But when Michele Bachmann tries to pull a Coulter, she just looks oafish and petty.

Take for instance her recent interview on a conservative video-news website. She sounds logical in presenting her partisan case until she starts talking about energy and the swine flu crisis. That's when the congresswoman completely melts down, yet again rolling out the aging anti-science of the last eight years, which denies the significance of human activity on global warming .

Then she bends reality, actually saying that, somehow, by not agreeing to the tougher emissions standards of the Kyoto Treaty, the U.S. has lowered its carbon emissions during the past year. Worse, she goes on to credit our nation's recent prosperity (huh?) for lower emissions.

I'm no expert, but if there were an economy-based reason for lower emissions in the U.S., maybe it's that industrial production has diminished during the Great Recession. In fact, an Apr. 9 USA Today article confirms that a slower economy has helped cut some emissions worldwide.

"...and it's because of our prosperity," Bachmann explains to the interviewer. "Prosperity has enabled our country to have cleaner factories, cleaner coal plants. When you have prosperity and you can have the new and the latest technology, then you have the best chance of being able to have a cleaner environment, and that's really a good direction to go."

Okay, so because business is so great (ahem) kindly utility companies decided to install expensive clean-air technology? WRONG! Can you say regulation Rep. Bachmann?

But the Ann Coulter-light comparison comes in when Michele Bachman is asked about swine flu. I need not spoil the fun. See how she twirls the issue like an unpracticed majorette (do we still call them that?) fumbling her baton at the phalanx of a high school marching band. Click on the image above for a link to the interview.

Monday, April 27, 2009

To be Liberal and Proud in America


There's a new freedom in America. Self-identifying liberals are feeling, well, liberated. We see in the national discourse a revival of the once-proud nomenclature of liberal, liberality, and liberalism. What is amazing to me is how quickly it has happened. Not long ago, a handful of months back, in fact, to call someone liberal was to poison the political well of opinion about that person's views. If that person was a politician, fuh-geta-boudit. Their career was over if you could make the tag stick. And so it was for almost two decades.


Echos of JFK's nomination acceptance speech to the Liberal Party in New York in 1960 have seemed quaint--until lately. Consider Kennedy's words then:

"...if by a 'Liberal' they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people -- their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties -- someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a "Liberal," then I'm proud to say I'm a 'Liberal.'"


Although many liberals made their way through what were the dark times for their breed by swapping the L-word for the P-word (progressive), some are now reclaiming the mantle of Roosevelt.


The Internet is the battering ram with which American liberalism has made its surprise, sudden comeback.


Today, Paul Krugman's (pictured above) New York Times blog http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/ called "Conscience of a Liberal," seems to be earning the title the author lays claim to. At the same time, Ariana Huffington's Huffington Post is the clearing house of new liberal media. Then there's the person who has made the most of the Internet's potential in a single victory: Barak Obama.


We'll see how long this lasts. As baby boomers age and, pardon my crassness, begin to die off, the likelihood of a continuity of this trend becomes greater. While that generation had its moment of being liberal-ish, they have clearly become more conservative on many, if not most, issues. Their younger siblings, Generation X and their children, the Millennials, are far more progressive. Scratch that. We're far more LIBERAL!


Friday, April 24, 2009

My Car Accident (VIDEO): The Damage

So, instead of the update on UBOC (still to come, next week). How about a little video update of my crash on the southbound off-ramp of the the 405 at Santa Monica Blvd? I was exiting the freeway and, as you will hear and see, stopping the car required an application of Newton's Laws in the crudest of fashion. Note: If you're expecting to see video of the crash, sorry. It's just vid. of my car after it was towed home, but it's still pretty gnarly from my point of view.
(CLICK THE PLAY > BUTTON BELOW)

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

My Auto Accident Means UBOC Update w/be Delayed


(Not my car pictured; I'm too exhausted to take one as the tow truck just brought me home).

Sorry to say, I think my car is totaled. I'll follow up on the Union Bank Story (see below) Friday.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Equal Rights for Midwestern Couples, but not on the West Coast


Apropos of the passage of Prop 8 last year, the Golden State, the People's Republic of California, as right-wingers like to call this bastion of progressiveness, now has the distinction of having a proud bigot as our representative in the Miss USA Pageant (yes, grown-up beauty pageants still exist).

Blonde "lovely" Carrie Prejean believes God was testing her faith by having judges ask for her opinion on gay marriage. The hubris of Ms. Prejean (maybe when gets out of pre-jean status and grows up to be a full-fledged "jean" she'll have a little more tolerance for others) was revealed in an interview with Fox News Channel:

"It did cost me my crown," the beauty queen said. Your crown? Unless there's something about beauty pageants that escapes me (and I'm sure there is), it's not your crown unless you win.
Prejean continued. "I was raised in a way that you can never compromise your beliefs and your opinions for anything."

There's something Shakespearean about the fact that some California couples have to go to places such as Iowa and Vermont to legally marry the ones they love. Welcome to the new Golden State: Oklafornia.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Banks Hoarding Bailout Money, Won't Even Loan to Themselves


Banks across America are hording money given them (okay, loaned to them--theoretically) by the U.S. Government. The the bailout money was meant to free up stalled credit markets, i.e., give banks money to lend to businesses and consumers. The idea is to reinvigorate the economy with a little spending. But we have just learned (again) banks who got bailout money loaned less money in March than they did in February! A Wall Street Journal investigation found that the more money banks got, the less they lent.

Though not a bailed out bank, and having told me late last year for a story I wrote in the Business Journal that they have money to lend and are lending it, I posted this Union Bank of California image because of an interesting anecdotal connection to the tight-credit angle of this post: Union Bank of Calif. has had a new branch under construction on Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood for almost two years now. Progress on construction has been slow to say the least. Even banks borrow money to build. Has UBOC found credit markets too tight to get on with opening the much-anticipated (the nearest location now is in the heart of Beverly Hills' worst traffic area) branch in WeHo? Stay tuned...I'll learn and let you know Wed., April 22 what's the delay.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Space-based Solar Energy Coming to Earth

I was in Mrs. Litton-Smith's sixth grade class at Hohokam Elementary School in Scottsdale, Arizona in 1978 the first time I ever heard about the concept of capturing solar energy in space for use as electricity on Earth. Now, a California Company says it wants to make the concept happen...REALLY! (via bldgblog.blogspot.com). Image courtesty of Wikipedia.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Region's Largest Mall in Bankrupcty; Northridge Fashion Center not Closing--for Now

The Great Recession is pounding once-bustling malls across Southern California and the nation, moreover. Case in point, General Growth Properties, the nation's second largest mall owner/operator, has announced it is bankrupt. GPP is seeking Chapter 11 protection in U.S. Bankrupcty Court.

GPP's Northridge Fashion Center, the largest mall in northern Los Angeles County is assuring customers and tenants that, as general manager Danielle Gordon put it, "...the mall will be open today and tomorrow, and going forward."

What was interesting to me, however, was the fact that I did not ask Gordon if the mall was going to stay open. I only asked what impact there would be locally in the face of the parent company's Chapter 11 filing. In Chapter 11 bankruptcies, companies generally continue operating while they restructure their debt with the protection of the court from adverse actions by creditors. The $30 billion real estate investment trust is believed to owe more than $28 billion to its creditors.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Phantom Billboard Artist, Gias, Strikes on La Cienega


Remember L.A. artist, David Browne's little doves hanging over intersections across the city? Well it may be that artist Gias is the next David Browne. Check out this amazing video of the artist's rogue billboard (on La Cienega just south of Pico on the west side of the street) message about the perils of TV, Drugs and Religion in time-lapse progression over the course of four days and nights (courtesy joosbox.tv):

Monday, April 13, 2009

Dedication of Hunter Allen Trail

They say only the good die young. I don't know how true that is, but I know the people who gathered at the west end of Victory Blvd. last Saturday morning for the dedication of Hunter Allen Trail at Ahmanson Ranch in the far west part of the San Fernando Valley would rather have seen Good Hunter Allen live into his thirties and beyond.
The ceremony was officiated by a Chumash Indian medicine man, who, in full-native prayer garb, dedicated the trail to Hunter's family, the American People, Native Americans, and their ancestors, who are buried on lands across the continent.
Hunter died tragically a year ago when the pain of his personal life became too much for him to bear.
However, the way Hunter lived his public life earned him the name Baby Dragon. Though somewhat diminutive in physical stature, he was a force to be wreckened (as fomer WaMu CEO Kelly Killinger learned. Killinger lost his battle with Hunter, a young West Hollyood activist, determined to save a large swath of hilly California meadowland, which the bank owned and developers salivated over. With no money and a gut full of passion, Hunter used cunning, irony, and friends to succeed in making the land part of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy--forever protecting it from the voracious appetites of California's sprawl-driven developers. Thanks to his efforts and the efforts of others, banks and developers are now looking at urban redevelopment as the wave of the future for building in Southern California.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

A Model for Rivers and Greenspaces

L.A. City Councilman Ed Reyes has invited Seoul's deputy mayor for infrastructure to show us how it's done...building a riverwalk and a park with environmental sustainability as the guiding principle, that is. All snarkiness aside, this is actually a great idea. The South Koreans have done good work in urban planning in terms of such projects. There will be a presentation at City Hall, open to the public, Friday, April 17 at 2:30, where
Dr. In-Keun Lee will talk about and show images of how Seoul has transformed a canal into a beautiful river walk. Expect to see more of these kinds of exchanges as L.A.'s new 4-block great park to be installed at the foot of City Hall downtown, and the L.A. River project unfolds (however slowly completion of the two shall meet the light of day).

Monday, April 6, 2009

Ipod Touch Here: A solution for a Frustrated Verizon Blackberry User


For more than a year, I've struggled with my Blackberry. Don't get me wrong; I know how it works. That's the problem: I hate how it works! I think there are two kinds of people. There are those who get algebra and the Blackberry algorithm. Then there are those of us who think a whole other way.
However, I don't want AT&T. So, for now, no iPhone. My plan is to ditch the Blackberry, get a regular, non-PDA camera phone, and and iPod Touch for my other, net-based needs. Tell me what you think of this solution if you have any experience with similar situations--especially if you know about the mythical world of unlocking the iPhone for use with Verizon (which I understand to be impossible because Verizon doesn't use removable chips).