Coming Home

There is so much to tell about my trip to Turkey, but that will have to wait. I am currently readjusting to a tiring delay in London Heathrow and life back with my own toilet and living quarters. I actually miss sharing a room with 3-4 other women, although the personal bathroom is something of a blessing, considering how holes in the ground can be sanitary as easily as they can be filthy. I do miss the comraderie from our travels from Istanbul south to Konya, east to Cappadocia, and then coming full circle through Bursa and back to Istanbul. I need time to decompress and purge all the experiences and information from my trip. What I can say for now, is that Turkey is far from the political upheaval represented in the media. The Turkey I saw was about warmth and hospitality and some of the nicest people I've encountered in any travel experience. I hope anything I write can do them justice.

Back in Los Angeles, I have found it more and more difficult to readjust to normal life after each international travel. Coming back from France and Germany was difficult in September, and so too is this coming home. Times like these, I look to routines that comforted me in the past - gym and exercise classes, writing sessions and ruminations at the local cafe, walks with friends (who I'm having a hard time getting in touch with since my cell phone is held hostage in my lost luggage) and zoning out occasionally in front of re-runs. In some ways, I miss the routines of Turkey. Waking up to the call to prayer at 6AM, rushing for the bathroom with a throng of other women, speaking in 3 different languages with travellers from all over Europe and the U.S. Hopefully, I will experience more travelling routines in the new year and will learn to get used to the often unsatisfying comforts of home.

Happy new year to all my blog readers. I hope 2008 will be full of travels, and new routines in which you never thought you would find comfort. Keep in touch.

Konya or Bust

UNESCO has desıgnated 2007 as the offıcal year of Rumi, known by the name Mowlana or Mevlana by hıs dıscıples. This year marks hıs 800th bırthday. I decided to follow a group of pılgrıms to Konya, the bırthplace of Mowlana, for thıs historic milestone. I am on the 8th day of my journey ın Turkey which started from Istanbul and ends there wıth stops along the way ın Ankara, Konya, Capadocıa, Bursa and smaller towns ın between. At the moment, I am ın a Mesnevy (order of the belıef system accordıng to Rumı) hostel less than 5 mıles away from hıs tomb.

I am here wıth a Sufi musıc troupe based ın Istanbul and led by two Sheık brothers, neıther of whom speak Englısh, so the language of communıcatıon with us is often French. In our group, we have about 8 people from the US and a smorgasbord of Germans, Austrians, Spaniards and local Turks we seem to have collected along the way. That ıs one thıng I did not realize before signing on - Our pilgrimage is linked to the tour schedule of the Tumata music group. This slightly unwelcome role as Sufi music groupie has even led us to a shopping mall event where the music collective played for mall visitors. If the US had the Tiffany mall tour, then Turkey has the Sufi mall tour - Similar only with funnier hats and lots and lots of whirling. Rumi followers turn - presumably to get closer to God. It ıs a dızzying and confusing vision to digest especially when it is done haphazardly at the mall with all sorts of particıpants.

Today we witnessed a professıonal whirling performance by Konya's dervish held at the impressive cultural center built for this year's celebrations. It was a hıghly structured event that shed at least a little bıt of light for me - an unacquainted groupie pılgrim. Konya is the birthplace of Rumi and scholars and pılgrims alike from all walks of life are gathered here. It ıs an ınteresting gathering. Even so. my aching wheezing chest and early morning wake up calls (wıth the prayer on megaphone) have had me starting to long for the comforts of home and the familiar. Onward to Capadocia ın the morning.

LaBonge blasts lack of foresight in Valley transit planning

Article in this week's papers http://www.suncommunitynewspapers.com/

LaBonge blasts lack of foresight in Valley transit planning
BY NAZBANOO PAHLAVI


City Councilmember Tom LaBonge addressed members of the Valley Industry & Commerce Association (VICA) and guests at the group’s monthly Newsmaker Connection meeting December 6 at their Van Nuys offices.

LaBonge held a casual forum to discuss urban development and infrastructure, mainly concerning the foresight – or lack thereof – in transit planning. Event attendees included city planners, developers, and NBC employees with an interest in pending projects in the councilmember’s district.

“We are starting to change our lives because of the traffic,” LaBonge said, referring to the 250 miles of freeway in Los Angeles County as compared with only 18 miles of heavy rail. He described effective public transportation systems such as the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), whose extensive under- and above-ground connections from San Francisco to Livermore could provide a model for Los Angeles.

“I believe in a subway to the sea, but also believe in the subway to USC and to Santa Clarita and everywhere else.”

He stressed that city officials should not skew transit development in favor of downtown commuters and should instead create balance by considering public transit options for residents who travel from the San Fernando Valley to the San Gabriel Valley, as one example. He also advised drivers to look for ways to incorporate public transportation into their lives.

LaBonge criticized what he saw as a lack of foresight in some areas, such as the decision not to install a subway stop at the Hollywood Bowl. He voiced hopes to propose a connector from the 101 to the 170 Freeway in that area.

Turning to the NBC/Universal project, LaBonge said “everyone’s upset about a lot of things in our community now because every last lot is being built on.” Many residents associations and neighborhood councils have ardently opposed the plans.

LaBonge noted that the Staples Center proved successful because of the grid layout providing options for drivers – “something which the Lankershim-lined parcels lack. This invites traffic congestion and begs the building of freeway connectors.”

If NBC/Universal had proper foresight regarding the project, the councilmember said, developers could have purchased the Braille Institute Youth Center, which had closed down, or the Hannah Barbera lot, which would have provided more options for drivers to get onto the freeway. The area is now only served by one off-ramp and no freeway on-ramps.

LaBonge said another reason for the uproar over many of the pending projects in the east San Fernando Valley is that developers aim to build to the maximum of the code – something that needs to be reconciled by city officials based on “what the city streets can handle, for what the neighborhood can handle.”

The councilmember touted the vision of people such as William Mulholland, who designed the Los Angeles aqueduct 100 years ago to funnel water into the San Fernando Valley. LaBonge referred to Mulholland’s work as an example of long-term vision that must be applied to modern day issues of transit and mobility.

Travelling in Turkey

I am on a pilgrimage through Turkey and my access to the world wide web is haphazard at best. I am currently in Ankara. Stay posted.

Please check out the following two articles in this week's Sun Community Newspapers

Posted Below--

Ventura redesign timeline urged at SCNC meeting

Article in this week's Sun - http://www.suncommunitynewspapers.com

Ventura redesign timeline urged at SCNC meeting
BY NAZBANOO PAHLAVI

The Studio City Neighborhood Council (SCNC) debated a potential redesign of the stretch of Ventura Boulevard between Colfax and Vineland Avenues at its monthly board meeting November 28 at the CBS Studio Center.

Dale Thrush, Planning Director for City Councilmember Wendy Greuel, attended the meeting to discuss a charrette, a stakeholder gathering aiming to resolve urban design issues through consultation and planning.

The meager process outline Thrush shared described the charrette’s goal “to create land use regulations that will facilitate the replacement of auto-related uses” and potentially include mixed-use housing, business and retail buildings similar to the village-style development of Tujunga Village.

Thrush said officials are currently in the process of assessing the physical limitations, land use regulations and economic feasibility of the project. The outline included rough estimates as to the length of the process goals, but no exact dates.

The SCNC board received Thrush’s outline with disappointment in light of the Land Use Committee’s meeting November 14 in which a detailed charrette report, including a timeline, was expected and not received.

Board member Gail Steinberg accused Thrush of putting profit margins ahead of community concerns, even though he emphasized the importance of “wide community support” before moving forward.

“What about our homeowners and protecting the equities in our homes?” Steinberg asked, adding that the current plan was “unacceptable to the community and to the council.”

Board member Richard Niederberg noted that the development, particularly the projected housing along Ventura Boulevard, would gulp up too much land, available parking, and homeowners’ views.

“One of the engines that will drive the change…is economics,” said Thrush, echoing a sentiment emphasized by other city officials including Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, whose support of smart growth integrating mixed-use projects is well known.

The SCNC board ultimately decided to send a letter to Greuel to urge an expedient and community-involved process for the future of the charrette.

The other hot button item was board secretary John Walker’s report on the progress of the MTA/Universal Community Working Group, for which he is SCNC’s representative. The Working Group is comprised of the four neighborhood councils and 11 long-established residential, business and property owners most affected by the NBC Universal development plans.

Walker stated that the proposed construction includes two 28-storey live/work buildings called “Commons” on the Universal City/MTA site, in addition to another development further north on Lankershim Boulevard that would house 2,900 residential and production facilities.

“Imagine if you will,” Walker stated, “500 trucks a day of dirt for a year and a half before they even begin the process of development. That’s how long the destruction is.” According to Walker, the Working Group plans to buy space in the Los Angeles Daily News to endorse their disapproval with the current state of the project.

The board also discussed the need to financially support the North Hollywood Police Department’s efforts to add updated digital technology in its interrogation room, and elected Jeremy Lipton-Schwartz, a student at Grant High School in Valley Glen, to the board’s Youth Seat.

The SCNC board will not meet in December.

Operation Gratitude honors Army officer with National Freedom Award

Check out this week's http://www.suncommunitynewspapers.com/


Operation Gratitude honors Army officer and author with National Freedom Award
by NAZBANOO PAHLAVI

Retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Hal Moore, who was depicted by Mel Gibson in the 2002 film We Were Soldiers, received Operation Gratitude’s first annual National Freedom Award presented at the California Army National Guard Armory in Van Nuys on December 1.

“I didn’t earn it, my troopers earned it for me,” said Moore, who led troops in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and whose New York Times #1 bestseller, We Were Soldiers Once, and Young, written with war journalist and friend Joseph Galloway, was the inspiration for the movie. Randall Wallace, the film’s director, as well as many Vietnam veterans who served under Moore were present at the Armory for the award ceremony.

“In the final analysis, let me tell you who the American soldier fights for – the American soldier fights for the man beside him,” said Moore, who recently turned 84. “The American soldier seldom thinks, if ever, about what some president says on television. The American soldier fights for his buddy. The American soldier grieves for his buddy.”

Moore shared stories from his years in combat, most notably during the November 1965 battle of Ia Drang at Landing Zone X Ray near the Cambodian border – an event he called a “battle for survival” and which was one of the first serious episodes against the North Vietnamese. Moore recounted a heartbreaking moment losing a sergeant who died in his arms, a young man next to whom he buried his wife at Fort Benning Cemetery in Georgia, and where he hopes to lay, “the sooner the better,” he joked.

The award was presented between two Operation Gratitude volunteer shifts, for which locals gathered to prepare care packages for shipment to deployed men and women in military service. Volunteer groups included the West San Fernando Valley CVS stores, Boy Scout troops 22 and 139, and the American Legion.

Congressman Brad Sherman of District 27 presented Moore with a flag that was flown over the United States Capitol, along with its certificate of authenticity. Moore said he would fly it proudly on holidays at his home in Auburn, Alabama.

Starbucks gets pricey

My favorite item on the Starbucks food menu has always been the fruit and cheese plate. One evening, I even called ahead to make sure they had one before I got there. It's a great snack - healthy and delicious. Three pieces of berry and nut encrusted bread, one wedge of camembert, 5 individual grapes, 1 orange slice, 3 cubes of pesto jack cheese and a slice of chedder. Not much - But satisfying. I never used to think about buying it, but these days this small item costs $5.55. On a plane, I can get a sandwhich, chips and cookies for that amount (sure, price fluctuates based on the airline). And Yet I still like buying it. There's something dainty and polished about the fruit and cheese plate that seems to warrant paying the equivalent of a supersized meal at McDonalds. And they say Starbucks is seeing a drop in their earnings? Not if people like me keep paying for 5 individual red grapes!

My First 5k!

So I just learned I came in third in my division at the Jewish Home's Walk of Ages 5K yesterday!  It was a great day for a run.  The weather in Reseda was cool and brisk, and the crowd included walkers, runners,  dogs, skateboarders, children in strollers, and even a clown.

I was glad to support the Home and complete my first 5K run together. Thank you to those people who supported me with donations to continue the programs and assistance provided by the Jewish Home in Reseda to their residents. I look forward to participating again next year, and improving on my time.

My fifty dollar bus fare

I heard on NPR yesterday that the city plans on expanding the light rail express line by adding a connection from downtown Los angeles to Culver City. I think any new addition in the public transit is excellent, timely and integral to the infrastructure of a sucessful large city. My only question is this...why did I pay $50.00 to take the bus to work on Wednesday?

I have always been a fan of public transportation. When I'm in Paris, I take the bus or the metro. It's easy. In Pittsburgh, I took the bus for two years. The Bay Area has their lovable Bart system that glides from Oakland Airport into Berkeley and San Francisco. Berlin has a slew of options blending the slow but steady trolly left over from communist Germany with the U-Bahn, S-Bahn and all the above-ground and below-ground options Angela Merkel can afford. Public transportation isn't just a way of moving bodies. It's like a community. In Pittsburgh, I would regularly run into people going from Downtown to Squirrel Hill, and around 5pm, the bus was so packed that I often gained first-hand knowledge of all the gossip from the nurses at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Then again, there was China where I studied abroad for 4 months. Shanghai was a bustle of movement - Busses, bicycles, taxis, rikshaws, motorcycles - all of which moved faster than you could yell "xiaoxin"! (or be careful). At the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley's summit last month, someone mentioned that Beijing is building a monorail system in anticipation of the 2008 Olympic Games - Less than a year's time. In L.A., the talks of a subway to sea line has been bandied about for over 20 years. I'm sure the public officials hope that one day public transit will become so convenient that commuters won't think twice before opting out of driving. For now, that is not the case. Note my $50 bus fare.


I would have driven. But I've decided to trust the Big Blue Bus at least twice a week. My commute isn't a big deal - Maybe 15 minutes tops in the morning. It requires two buses to get there, which means timing is everything. I needed to catch the first bus at 8:21 to connect to the next bus 5 minutes later. So at about 8:20:30, I ran out of the house, fully aware that I may have just heard the bus just whiz by. I navigated in between parents and children and carpool drop-offs at the nearby school. I made it to the bus stop and waited. Ten minutes went by. I began to realize that what I heard earlier may have indeed been my bus, puzzled that it was so punctual. Needless to say, I was going to miss my next connection. Fourty minutes later, I was at work.

When you miss a bus, there is rarely one that comes right behind it and the sad truth is that the next is at the very least 15 minutes away. If I had to rely on the bus everyday to get around, I would be chronically late, and waiting a whole lot trying to make my connections. If I wanted to get from the westside to Woodland Hills, which I often do, I would need at least 3 bus transfers and an hour and a half - if everything went as scheduled.

Oh wait, the fifty dollars. So, in my haste to catch the bus, which I missed, to arrive at work on time, which I didn't, I failed to remember street cleaning that day. And my car was on the wrong side of the street. Something that would not have happened, had I driven to work. So I came home, again fourty minutes after work, with a $47.00 ticket. My actual bus fare that day was about $2.50. So if I had driven to work, well, I would still be $47.00 richer.

So much for the bus saving me money.

Traffic solution in motion at Pico and Olympic

I heard murmurings of the Pico/Olympic plan to ameliorate traffic at the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley’s summit on transportation held at the Burbank Holiday Inn. At the time, I wondered whether anything substantial would come out of gathering – hoping for less talk and a lot more action. Luckily, such a meeting of the minds and officials seems to get the juices flowing, propelling ideals to come from off the table and onto the streets. When ideas are shared in a summit or conference and is covered by the news (like I did – for the Sun Community newspapapers – http://speechspeech.net/EconomicAllianceSummit_Article.jpg) people get interested and the idea acquires more momentum. I bet this is especially true when those city officials meet with outspoken and interested community and business members who are itching for change.

I don’t know how long the Pico/ Olympic plan was in the works, but it’s a breath of fresh air. The article in the Los Angeles Times yesterday quotes a Westside neighborhood council chairwomam who wished the city took more steps in working with locals before moving forth on the project. On a past one-way street proposal, she proclaimed that it “was unacceptable because she could not have gotten ‘to my house anymore.’" With that kind of individualistic thinking, I’m glad that she wasn’t involved this time around.

If neighborhood councils and community representatives oppose and speak out about traffic solutions that can benefit drivers, workers and residents all at once, then their interests should be placed on the backburner. It seems obvious to say it, but the interest of the community on the whole should be valued more than local homeowners who like things the way they are, thank you very much.

Kudos to Villaraigosa, Jack Weiss, Yaroslavsky and those involved in the transportation committees for taking measures to improve traffic. I was very impressed with all the intelligent and dedicated civil servants, committee members and researchers who have devoted themselves to better incorporate feasible transportation solutions into our daily routines. I hope the Pico/Olympic plan is just one step in many to improve the current abysmal situation of gridlock.

Mitt Romney outlines platform at VICA forum

Article in this week's Studio City Sun
www.studiocitysun.com

Mitt Romney outlines platform at VICA forum

BY NAZBANOO PAHLAVI

Former Massachusetts Governor and republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney addressed a crowd of about 150 supporters, Valley Industry & Commerce Association (VICA) members, high school students and journalists during an hour-long “Ask Mitt Anything” talk at the Burbank Airport Marriott on November 15.

According to VICA, the appearance marked the only stop this year by a Republican presidential candidate in the Valley. Democratic candidate John Edwards visited striking writers at NBC Burbank the next day.

Romney outlined his intentions if elected president with an emphasis on strengthening the military, including a proposed increase of 100,000 troops. He also laid out his plan for a new tax rate for citizens who make $200,000 a year or less.

“My new tax rate for your savings – that means your tax on the interest and dividends, and capital gains – would be absolutely zero. Let Americans save,” Romney said.

The governor credited former president Ronald Reagan for inspiring his “Strengthen our families, strengthen our economy and strengthen our military” platform, and again mentioned the former president, to loud applause, when he quoted Reagan as saying, “‘It’s not that liberals are ignorant, it’s just that what they know is wrong.’”

Romney touted his experience in business, government, and as CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee during the 2002 Winter Olympics as measures of leadership that put him ahead of the democratic forerunners – none of whom have “ever managed a corner store,” he quipped.

Romney took an indirect stab at democratic presidential hopeful Senator Hillary Clinton during the 30-minute question and answer session when he jokingly asked if there were any planted questions, in reference to questions allegedly planted by Clinton aides at a recent Iowa town hall meeting.

Most of the questions asked of the governor in Burbank aligned with hot-button issues such as healthcare reform, immigration, home foreclosures and global warming.

In response to a Korean War veteran’s question about healthcare, Romney outlined his current plan to secure Massachusetts’s half-million uninsured with coverage. Romney said his model works “without a government-run system, without new taxes required. We got everybody in our state on track to have health insurance.”

His plan mandates that all residents register for government-subsidized health insurance or buy their own way with lower rates and higher deductibles. “We don’t need socialized medicine, Hillary-care, or anything like it,” Romney commented.

Turning to immigration, Romney said, “We like folks coming from other nations of the world,” but “we also want to make sure that we’re a nation of laws. And that we match our needs with the people who come here.”

He denounced attempts to offer the children of illegal immigrants lower tuition for state college, condemned cities that are known as “sanctuary cities,” and derided New York Governor Eliot Spitzer’s now obsolete attempt at issuing driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants.

Romney’s proposed solution includes the implementation of an employment identification card for use by legal immigrants, with hopes of pushing illegal workers out of the system.

Romney also proposed ways to combat global warming by getting “on track to become energy-independent and energy secure” through alternative sources of energy such as clean and liquefied coal, and by adopting better energy efficiency strategies in homes and businesses.

When the lights in the hotel ballroom went dark for a brief moment during the Q&A session, Romney joked, “I want to make sure that you Californians are not seeing another drought or another blackout again.”

Brewer assesses first year at LAUSD helm at VICA

Article out in this week's Sherman Oaks Sun
www.suncommunitynewspapers.com

Brewer assesses first year at LAUSD helm at VICA
BY NAZBANOO PAHLAVI

Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Superintendent David Brewer III spoke about his challenges during his first year in office November 14 at the Valley Industry & Commerce Association’s (VICA) monthly Newsmaker Connection breakfast in Van Nuys.

“Everybody wants to lay it on the school district or the Superintendent – that’s the wrong answer,” Brewer said, calling for a “systematic and holistic approach” in dealing with the problems of a district with 700,000 students in grades K to 12 and 400,000 students in the adult schools.

The district has improved this year, meeting 43 out of 46 assessments in accordance with California’s “Adequate Yearly Progress Criteria.” The three unmet criteria were language arts for English language learners, language arts for special education, and graduation rates.

According to Brewer, English language acquisition is especially challenging since about 250,000 of students in grades K-12 are English language learners, even though 78 percent are native born. To determine how to best address their needs, the LAUSD will sponsor a national summit on language acquisition December 13 to 14.

In response to an editorial that day in the Los Angeles Times criticizing Brewer, the retired Navy Vice Admiral said that “they’re there for selling papers” and the problems won’t be solved with a quick fix.

“You just can’t open up a kid’s brain and pour knowledge into it,” Brewer stated. “You got to work with those children and you got to stabilize them and move forward. So in essence that’s where we are right now.”

This includes working with local organizations such as the YMCA and Boys and Girls Club in order to provide on-site “wrap-around services” such as mental healthcare and after-school activities. University High School in West Los Angeles already has a YMCA on campus with the eventual goal of securing satellites on East and South Los Angeles schools first.

Wrap-around services are also vital for the 24 percent transient population within the school system, a group that is increasingly moving into the Valley, Brewer said.

Responding to a question regarding the possible creation of a distinct San Fernando Valley school district, the Superintendent said he is disinclined to do this since economies of scale would yield a redundancy of programs on the one hand, and a shortage of services on the other. He does support the Valley’s acting smaller, however, and has already funneled $11 million from the central to local districts.

Although Brewer said his goal is to “focus like a laser” on learning and curriculum in the classroom, his inaugural challenge was cleaning up the BTS payroll mess – an ongoing problem for which he has instigated contract oversight to assess and ameliorate the crisis now and to watch over the system in the future.

Although the crisis has mostly been associated with LAUSD teachers and other employees, payment irregularities have also affected businesses and organizations that contract with the school district.

Jan Sobel, President & CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of the West Valley, complained of a severe delay in payments expected from the after-school education enrichment grants secured under the passage of Proposition 49.

Brewer said that although he wasn’t aware of the problem, he would look into it.

AM Radio

I'm sad that KMozart had a slow death, from when it was moved off 105.1 FM and placed at 1260AM. Radio in Southern California has gone through so many changes recently, KMozart being one of them, 93.9FM another which suddenly changed from country to the pop music format taking us listeners, and DJS, by surprise. That one was hard to take. But then 105.1FM became Go Country. So radio is constantly changing - like when longtime Arrow FM, 93.1, was taken off and replaced with Jack FM.

The AM replacement slot at 1260AM is now comprised of news and talk including longtime British talk show host Michael Jackson. If this isn't exactly your cup of tea, the weekends are unexpectedly good. The station features a stream of classics from the American songbook.

Since KMozart left FM radio (and sadly, AM radio), listen to 91.5FM for classical music. This is USC's public station and it's important to listen, and support if you can, to maintain classical music over the radio in the L.A. area. It's a great station, and some of the DJs have a wickedly dry sense of humour.

Free Rice dot Com

www.Freerice.com

Check out this site, or recommend it to a student, and donate money (for free) to the United Nations to feed the needy throughout the world.

VICA conference forecasts the “economics of the quality of life”

Article in this week's Sun Community Newspapers (Nov 16-22)

http://www.suncommunitynewspapers.com/index.php?page=studio-city-sun

VICA conference forecasts the “economics of the quality of life”
BY NAZBANOO PAHLAVI

The Valley Industry and Commerce Association (VICA) held its 19th annual business forecast conference on the Economics of the Quality of Life at the Universal Hilton Hotel on November 9.

The half-day event included panels with elected officials, business representatives, professors and community leaders with discussions about workforce education, health care, traffic relief, smart growth, and risk management for business.

The meeting featured John Pitney, Professor of American Politics of Claremont McKenna College, who discussed the current political climate and race for the presidency. Despite Mitt Romney’s popularity in Iowa, Pitney foresees a Rudy Giuliani nomination for the Republican Party.

“This pro-choice, pro-gay rights former mayor of New York, who appeared in a video in drag, mind you, with Donald Trump, was endorsed by Pat Robertson,” Pitney said, as an indication of Giuliani’s widespread appeal.

Shirley Svorney, Chair of the Department of Economics at CSUN, addressed the need for officials to better draw new enterprise to the region.

“Jobs and wealth come from unexpected places,” said Svorney, who noted the benefit of other sources, in addition to the film or healthcare industries that she said have received past preferential treatment in the form of incentives.

Tyree Wieder, President of Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC), moderated a panel on workforce education that featured Monica Garcia, President of LAUSD Board of Education, and Senator Jack Scott, Chair of the CA Senate Committee on Higher Education.

Scott, former president of Pasadena City College, lauded the importance of career technical education in fulfilling students whose needs are unmet by traditional classes. A course in geometry used in the field of construction, for example, provides some students with a relatable hands-on framework to better understand the subject. “If we emphasize that in our high schools, we will reduce our high school dropout rate,” he said.

The panel also included Robert Sainz, Assistant General Manager for the Community Development Department of the City of Los Angeles, who, in partnering with LAVC, met a workforce need – a shortage of 400 MTA bus drivers. A curriculum and bridge program was designed which fully met the demand in about two years.

The topic of universal healthcare coverage on another panel produced a passionate debate on an issue that has created a “white hot political atmosphere,” according to Jot Condie, President and CEO of the California Restaurant Association, who in August proposed a one-cent sales tax to benefit healthcare reform.

Jim Lott, Executive Vice President of the Hospital Association of Southern California, stressed the immediate need for reform with 44% of all hospitals in L.A. County operating under a deficit.

The conference concluded with a luncheon featuring Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who hopes to make the crane — not the long-necked bird, but the long-necked machine used in construction — L.A.’s mascot.

“We want to do something about traffic and housing? Put them together…invest in this town,” said the mayor, who emphasized the need for smart growth.

Villaraigosa touted his recent victory in bringing Mexican tortilla manufacturer Mission Foods to the San Fernando Valley as an example of bringing business to the region.

The mayor also asked for support of the telephone utility replacement tax, which voters must decide on early next year. The measure will ask to replace the telephone utility tax, which puts an excise on cell phones, in the event it will lose legitimacy by the courts due to new IRS laws. The tax, which has helped yield $270 million for the L.A. budget, fuels the equivalent of one-third the Los Angeles Police Department.

The luncheon also featured Dale Bonner, Secretary of California’s Business, Transportation and Housing Agency.

Articled Mentioned on Los Angeles Mission Blog

The President of the Los Angeles Mission reffered to my Daily News article on their blog site:

Check it out here: http://www.losangelesmission.org/blog.html

So, what do you think?

What We Humans Can Learn From Cats

As a new owner of an adorable kitten, Maosie Malouse, I realize how we humans, with our advanced brains, capacity for language, nuclear bomb creation, and public relations strategies, have a lot to learn about basic human skills from a non-human 9-week old kitty.

1. Maosie is not afraid to jump to great heights. She is also not afraid to fall down from them.

2. With as much energy as they have, kittens know how to be completely still.

3. Kittens learn to keep themselves clean, innately. For us humans, it is a different matter all together.

4. Maosie know every nook and hidden enclave of her territory, better than her owner. She stayed hidden
underneath the oven before I found her there, hiding patiently.

5. Cats and kittens may seem like gluttons for affection but I don’t think they are. Maosie requires my attention for
only a couple of minutes. Any other affection she exhibits is reciprocated from the attention I give her first.

6. Cats have strong backbones. I accidentally stepped on my kitten yesterday. Apart from a possible newfound
suspicion of her owner’s love, she came out of it unharmed.

7. They are very inquisitive. They are also quick learners. In the case of cat vs. dog, they definitely have the upper
hand.

8. A cat only uses its claws when necessary.

9. The first couple days of life with Maosie, she cried at night and was fearful of her surroundings. She has now
adapted and doesn’t hide behind the oven anymore. In the case of cat vs. human, cats are way more adaptable.

10. My kitten is only 9 weeks old and she knows that crap only belongs in her litterbox.

Transportation Officials Discuss Traffic Fixes for L.A.

Published today in all three Sun Community Newspapers. Encino Sun comes out tomorrow.

www.suncommunitynewspapers.com Please leave specific comments regarding the article on the Sun site so the discussion reaches a greater net of interested parties.

Transportation officials discuss traffic fixes for L.A.
BY NAZBANOO PAHLAVI

The Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley held an INFO Summit November 1 to discuss the roles of public transportation, cargo movement and traffic in the economic development of the Valley and its 1.84 million residents.

Held at the Holiday Inn in Burbank, the Summit featured talks between city officials, planners and stakeholders. David Fleming, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce Chair and Metro Board Member, moderated three panels.

“The public basically is opposed to change and yet they hate gridlock,” Fleming said. Proposed solutions have included one-way streets, congestion pricing, and the restriction of left-turn lanes during peak hours.

Wendy Greuel, Chair of the City Council’s Transportation Committee and 2nd district representative, remarked that such solutions had a noticeable impact when implemented temporarily during the 1984 Olympic Games. Fleming added that by staggering business hours for companies during that time, “we were able to drive 65 miles per hour during rush hour.”

Burbank Mayor Marsha Ramos said one area of concern for officials is duplication in public transportation services on the local and citywide level. “One thing we need to do better is to bring all those players at the table so that we’re using every dollar that is given to public transportation in the most efficient manner.”

Despite the $20 billion earmarked by the California Transportation Commission (CTC) for the state, CTC Commissioner Larry Zarian said California is still 20 to 30 years behind. For him – like Ramos – the problem is a lack of synergy.

“We are not coordinated,” Zarian said. “Who should be in this room today are the 53 members of congress that represent us.”

The success story of the day was the Orange Line, which runs from Warner Center in Woodland Hills to North Hollywood and provides West Valley residents with a more seamless connection to downtown.

County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who worked on the project, said that riders are “voting with their feet” – during one day last month, 25,800 passengers boarded the Orange Line.

“You got to have the local leaders who are willing to stick their neck out a little bit and spend the political capital that they accumulate,” he noted.

The MTA board has directed the next segment of the Orange Line to extend from the Warner Center to Chatsworth.

Despite its success, however, bus lines have not been as attractive to policy makers as light rail, which costs $65 million per mile, or subway, which costs $300 million per mile and takes years to complete.

The Orange Line costs $15 million per mile and takes a fraction of the time to complete.

The Summit also featured report findings from the Mulholland Institute on economic development opportunities along the I-5 Corridor – the 30-mile stretch of freeway from route 126 in the north, through Santa Clarita, Burbank, and into the northern downtown area.

Officials also discussed urban revitalization plans for the neglected Sun Valley region, with hopes of reforming it into the Silicon Valley of the south by housing biotech companies.

Check out My Article in Today's Los Angeles Daily News

L.A. hits mute button on giving money

Pick up a paper copy or follow this link:

http://www.dailynews.com/editorial/ci_7399526

Legal scholar dissects Supreme Court workings at El Caballero Country Club Event

Here's my article from this week's Encino Sun


Noted legal expert and Loyola Law School professor Laurie Levenson spoke to a crowd of about 90 members of The Executives – the Valley-based fundraising arm of The Jewish Home for the Aging – at the El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana on October 18.

“Is this really a room full of lawyers or are there any normal people here?” Levenson joked at the early morning meeting.

Levenson, who testified earlier this year before the Senate Judiciary Committee during the Alberto Gonzales proceedings, eloquently translated the law into user-friendly terms in a lecture entitled “What to Expect from the 5-4 Supreme Court.”

In an age of celebrity-driven court news, from O.J. Simpson to Phil Spector (the latter of whom Levenson said looked “more and more like my Bubbe” as his trial progressed), the professor focused on cases addressed during the Supreme Court’s past term, and why people should care.

“This is the lowest number of cases they’ve decided in the last 50 years,” Levenson remarked on their 68 case load, as compared to the more typical 150 in years past. “As they decide fewer cases, unfortunately their opinions get longer and less comprehensible, so that’s the challenge that we have for today.”

Her favorite case of the term, she said, was Morse and the Juneau School Board et al. v. Frederick in Alaska, a freedom of speech item that concerned a high school student holding up a “Bong Hits for Jesus” sign during the passing of the Olympic Torch in the 2002 Winter Games. The high school student’s principal, represented by attorney Kenneth Starr, accused the student of promoting drug use.

Levenson succinctly covered the broad range of criminal and civil cases decided by the Supreme Court and everything in between. These included issues involving gun control, equal protection violations, the Environmental Protection Agency and global warming, and the Guantanamo Bay enemy combatant cases, among others.

Possibly in salute to the bingo nights the Jewish Home for the Aging frequently hosts, Levenson teased the crowd to yell out “bingo!” at the tenth mention of Justice Anthony Kennedy, the swing vote who often acts as the deciding factor. This was true of the past term’s abortion case, where Kennedy’s vote determined the court’s ruling against full-fetal extractions.

Levenson discussed court decisions that disproportionately affect minority populations, such as the “war on drugs” and the disparity in sentencing terms for powdered cocaine vs. crack cocaine – the drug of choice in poor minority communities.

“[This means] if you’re a minority, you’re going to get slammed, and if you’re the kid in Beverly Hills you might get a lighter sentence,” she said.

A return guest speaker at an Executives event, Levenson also brought a note of humor to serious legal matters.

Regarding her experience as a witness during the Alberto Gonzales case and the discharge of eight United States attorneys for performance-related issues, she stated that “the attorney [Gonzales], in my opinion, did lie.

“I never had a date who wanted to be discharged for a performance reason.”

The Executives will continue their speakers series on December 6 when they host Kenneth Starr at the El Caballero Country Club. For more information, call (818) 774-3332.

My Article on Legal Expert Laurie Levenson in This Week's Encino Sun

Check out my article on Laurie Levenson, legal expert and Loyola Law School professor, who spoke on behalf of The Executives at the El Cabrillo Country Club in Tarzana last Thursday. The Executives is a wonderful charity organization that raises funds and support for the Jewish Home For the Aging in Reseda.

Please access the story by visiting www.encinosun.com . Then click on the Tab for Encino Sun. My article is listed under the heading "News".

I will also have a PDF copy of the article available by Monday. You may also read the article by picking up an Encino Sun at the Encino/Tarzana library on Ventura and Nestle.

A Lone Travellin' Man

My friend Daniel has been exploring the world - from Asia to Europe - since August. During this time, he has sent periodic digests from his adventures in places like Vietnam and Egypt. His latest update is from Eastern Europe. Daniel finished law school and just took the bar. I usually have a prejudice against the writing ability of attorneys, but his pen betrays the general stereoytpe of unclear, convulted and boring legal dredge. So enjoy - here's part of his recent world travelling saga.
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We all have our mountains to climb. Some of us have them in our personal lives, some in our schooling, and some in our work lives. Some can even consider taking the adventure of traveling alone as a mountain to climb. I looked at it more as an invitation, of a world open to exploration. What I found, was a bunch of mountains to climb. Actual mountains.

That's not to say that traveling alone has been difficult. In fact, I enjoy the freedom that comes with solo travel, and as I've noticed, I'm never really completely alone, because there is always somebody out there to extend an invitation.

Leaving Istanbul to Bulgaria, I was struck with the notion that Bulgaria would not be an inviting place at all. No fewer than three people in Istanbul said with an air of snootiness, "Why would you want to go to Bulgaria?" Indeed, when I arrived in Plovdiv, the Cyrillic signage against my Latin lettered Lonely Planet map invited chaos, confusion, and an inevitable triple priced cab ride to my hostel.

The hostel I stayed at in Plovdiv was at the top of one of the 7 hills of Plovdiv. Appropriately it was called Hiker's Hostel. There, one of my roommates extended an immediate invitation to me to join him and three others for dinner in the town center. It was a good meal and good conversation. That's the thing about hostel travel, you easily connect with people. As far as the rest of my time in Plovdiv, I conquered two of its 7 mountains, including the tallest one in the city, saw the Roman theatre of Phillipopolis, the original name of Plovdiv after Alexander the Great's father, the ethnographical museum, and of course, my good friend McDonald's.

The people at Hiker's Hostel extended the invitation to book me in their sister Hiker's Hostel in Veliko Tarnovo, and after a few hour mini bus ride through a gorgeous mountain pass, I was greeted by the hostel owner at the bus station and driven up and even large hill to the hostel. The only guests in the hostel were me, a pair of Korean girls, a norweigan couple, and an 18 year old Australian named Scott.

Scott was to become my new travel buddy. We explored the beautiful town of Veliko Tarnovo, played cards, and of course climbed to the top of the mountain on which the old fort was located. Also in Veliko Tarnovo were inviting sigange for the 36th annual world arm wrestling championships. But we followed all the arrows and we never succeeded in seeing any competition. But the streets were loaded with guys with huge arms all wearing their national matching track suits.

Because Scott, the Korean girls, and I were all headed to Bucharest the following day, the hostel owner invited us to accept a drive in his car there for the same price as the train which would take twice as long. So into his Fiat we all piled for Romania. However, crisis hit as he told us that all the hostels were booked. He offered to let us stay with him another night in Veliko Tarnovo, for a price of course, but Scott and I together decided to forgo Bucharest and take a train to Transylvania upon arrival. We met two interesting Romanian students on the late train, and arrived at the hostel in Brasov at 2:30am.

In Brasov Scott and I decided to do separate things, and I ended up day tripping to the birthplace of Dracula, Sighsoara. It was a beautiful old town, on top of a mountain, with a wonderful covered staircase leading to the top. I also climbed the bell tower and wandered in the cemetery, though I made sure to do so before dark fell, because I didn't want to invite anyone to suck my blood, whether the vant to or not!

Brasov was also a wonderful city for exploring and climbing mountains. Though for the huge mountain there was a cable car to the top, next to the giant Brasov sign that looked like the Hollywood sign. There was no access to the Brasov sign, sadly as uninviting as the one in Hollywood. That night Scott headed off to Hungary with some travellers from Trinidad and Tobago, though they invited me to dinner at KFC with them. Now while McDonaldćs is my old friend, nothing seems less inviting to me than KFC, except maybe KFC on the top of a mountain. So I went with for company, said goodbye, and then went with two girls to a Chinese restaurant.

After two nights sleeping in Transylvania, it was off to Bucharest via Sinaia, where I climbed an even larger mountain to get to the amazing castle there. Talk about uninviting! You have to buy your ticket, then ring the front door, then wait to be invited in! I had to wait 40 minutes. It reminded me of Buffy in reverse though, where instead of vampires needing to be invited in, here the vampire castle had to invite you in!
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For more, check out Daniel's blog. He's listed as Danielspice on my friends' blogroll on the right.

On The Streets of Berlin: Part Three

I know that many of you faithful blog readers were left in suspense with my last "On The Streets of Berlin" post. I promised to make my two-part series into a three-parter. So even though I touched on the highlights and landmark sights on the previous two posts, I will take this current opportunity to touch on the minutiae - The dear, the queer, and everything in the middle.

It's true. Berlin is very gay. So says my friend Adam who lives there now. Their mayor is gay (as is the mayor of Paris) and the travel guides associate a whole borough of the city as a gay haven. I went to a gay cafe one night. It was Elvis-inspired, in fact, all-American with a 50's jukebox soda joint motif. Well, I guess if anything is gay, it's got to be the 50's double-entendre hush hush homosexuality of 50's Middle America.

Dicki Miami, who my CMU friends also know as Richard Florida (once taught at Carnegie Mellon), wrote a book that incorporated the finding that gay cities are often more artistic, community-based, tech-savvy, environmentally-conscious, and cool than the rest of 'em towns. If the percentage of gays and lesbians in a city is directly proportionate to its coolness factor, then Berlin is as cold as an iceberg (I know, I know, they say this about their personalities too). And environmentally conscious. And eclectic! This is a coffee shop mecca, especially in the Kreutzberg area where I frequently ventured.

Another reason for the city's diversity is the large population of Turks. The reason is that may left Turkey for Germany in the 50s and 60s for the excellent job market. The Turks stayed and their population grew, and its probably the largest in a city outside of Turkey. And one of the legacies of this Turkish migration? Doner kabob! I didn't get to try it, but it's a Turkish version of kabob that is extremely popular there. I wonder, how many Germans would pick doner kabob over bratwurst and sauerkraut as their meal of choice?


Berlin is also a city of many fashion styles including lots of punk, granola, alternative, ska, and even Neo-Nazi chic (scary, I know) The hairstyles are particularly diverse. Although I wouldn't necessarily call a multi-colored mullet a thing of "coolness", the attempt to pull it off is definitely worthy of admiration.

I didn't go out at night to clubs in Berlin. I did, however, do karaoke. And boy, do the German youth in Berlin love karaoke. The set-up was box-hopping with four different karaoke rooms open to the public. Antonia, Adam and I settled in one for the evening, where we got cozy with a group of karaoke-regulars. Adam and I did some Salt and Peppa and Adam took his turn solo on Hall and Oats' "Rich Girl" and INXS' "The Devil Inside". We had a good time, but I knew the night was done when the drunk Germans started doing encores and I heard "Let's Get Physical" one too many times.

There are other things I did in Berlin that I haven't mentioned in this "Berlin" series. Like the unbelievable food department in the KaDeWe department store - the largest department store on the continent. Or the delicious muesli breakfast I had at the organic cafe next to Antonia's apartment. Or the kitschy traffic lights that demarcate former East Germany from the West. I originally thought a whole week in Berlin was a long time. It turns out that it was...but it was worth it. Lots of history, lots to do , and well, lots of attitude. Dufde wa?

Redundant Programming: The Saga Continues

It is now almost 12 hours since my first viewing of the "The War" on PBS (local station KCET). And guess what? It's still on! No, really, turn on your TV....

Redundant Programming on Public TV?

As much as I love the channels of public telecommunications - TV, radio - I often find KCET to lack the number of diverse and interesting programs I have come to expect in public radio. There are exceptions, of course. I like the Saturday Night Movie hosted by Martin Sheen (although Sam Rubin took over during last night's showing of "Honeymoon in Vegas"). I like Huel Howser and his positive and energetic explorations of southland treasures. I also like the novel tv programming from England, mostly a show called "Rosemary and Thyme", that blends dry British humour into a detective series with two daytime horticulturists (wonderful women characters) constantly involved in solving one mystery or another, all while pruning and picking weeds out of huge English gardens. I also love the cooking shows. And the children's programming, undoubtedly.

Today, I saw Ken Burn's "The War", the newest addition to his documetary trove. This ones about WWII. I really enjoyed it the first time. I skimmed through it the second time. Now, as I turn on KCET again, I think it must be on its third or fourth run. I think Sunday's can be big TV days for family's who have a hectic weekday schedule. If that is the case, why is KCET playing the same program all day long? Ken Burns is fine. Why not throw in a little of his "Baseball" documentary? Or mix up the pillage and heartache with a little "Civil War"?

The truth is that weekend TV programming is nil and boring accross the board. At least KCET is spicing it up with an intelligent documentary. Even though they are playing it ad nauseum.

On the Streets of Berlin: Part Two

Berlin in August more closely resembles a day in late fall, or early spring, when three layers of clothes are necessary and even a shawl or a warm knitted cap isn’t such a bad idea. Although most days were on the cooler (and sometimes rainy) side, there were a couple of sunny and breezy exceptions, most notably the Sunday I had my bike tour.

It is common knowledge in Berlin, whose literal meaning is “swamp”, that its largely flat terrain is ideal for bicyclists. And it’s true. In fact, the rights of the bicyclist seem to trump those of the pedestrian and comes a close second to those of the driver. Bicyclists in Berlin aren’t second class citizens. They have bike lanes, they are large in number, and if a pedestrian like myself stands in their way (which one evening, I was), they will gladly run me over.

So biking in Berlin provided an ideal tool to sightsee like a local - Across cobbled streets and soft pavemented thoroughfares, from the Brandenburg Gate, to the location of Hitler’s bunker and the large Nazi era airforce building, to the stark and meditative Jewish memorial – It was a great way to experience the city. This is perhaps even more true than bicycling in Paris, where the liklihood of getting hurt, I think, is probably just a tiny bit higher.

Many areas in Berlin are conveniently accessible by bike. That is, unless it is clear outside the city limits. In this case, a train comes in handy. I took the train on two occasions. The first was to visit Potsdam and the romantic home of Frederick the Great. I laughed when our New Zealand-helmed guide called him “Frederick the Fabulous”. If you know anything about him, or if I told you his Sans Souci Palace in Potsdam did not include a room for his wife, then you could probably guess where that nickname stems.

In French, sans souci means “without worry”. It was immense, beautiful, and the grounds truly reminded me of a French castle, perhaps Versailles, but even more spectacular. Frederick was a great lover of philosophy, the arts, books and gardening (well, all in addition to war), and invited brilliant minds of the era to Sans Souci Palace. Voltaire, for instance, lived there for a few years.

Here are a couple of pictures from Sans Souci:




I would have loved to have spent more time in Potsdam, where many of the museums and sights seemed accessible by the bus. Many, but not all. The film studios were close by, and although I was on the lookout, I did not spot Tom Cruise or Katie Holmes. I also learned the title of his Nazi-era pic is no longer “Valkyrie”, although by the time the movie is released they may just play on the “The Good Shephard” and “The Good German” phenomenon and call it “The Good Nazi”. Or, maybe the “The Nice Nazi”?

Since I am already on the subject, it is apropos to discuss my other train-led excursion. This time, along with my Berlin host Antonia, I took the train in the other direction to Sachsen-hausen concentration camp.

Sachsen-hausen was one of the early camps built for the imprisonment and persecution of victims under the Nazi regime. It was also considered the “model” camp which housed the head office of the SS. For this reason, much of the training of the SS was done there.

The history of Sachsen-hausen does not end with its liberation by the Russian army in 1945. In fact, the Soviets used it to keep their own political prisoners after the war. The dual role of the camp was particularly fascinating to our Canadian tour guide who provided thoughtful insights into the role and image of the camp under both Nazi and Soviet command . The latter had made some changes to the camp, which is unfortunate since the integrity of camps is vital for Holocaust remembrance, education and historical preservation.

Our tour of the camp felt hurried, even though our guide loved to park us in one corner and lecture. I was most interested by the fact that Sachsen-hausen had a gas chamber and a few small crematoria, since I wasn’t aware that this particular camp included these killing facilities.

Consequently the weather was grey and drizzly that day. The experience, to say the least, was both a somber and sobering one.

Stay tuned for the conclusion of my trip to Berlin!

On the Streets of Berlin : Part One

I am posting this entry while on route between Paris and Los Angeles currently waiting in Chicago's immense O'Hare Airport. My sense of time is all skewed. My stomach is all screwed. And the temptation of a potential night in Chicago courtesy of the airlines (if they overbooked) increases more by the minute. This is especially true since my seat is connected to a section of seats all of which move violently whenever someone makes any and all type of gesture. This is magnified by the fact there is a huge and highly excitable Indian family seated in the back section connected to me. So at the moment, I feel like I am on a boat swaying somewhere in Lake Michigan and at any minute the nasty Chilli's crisp chicken thingers I just had will need to be mopped up by a dutiful O'Hare employee. Ah, travel.

So in this state, I am posting some of the experiences from my week in Berlin, Germany. It is a very interesting city with a lot of turbulent history, despite the sometime harmless and neutral impression it has on the minds of Americans. I think this is due to their beer, sausages and rotund bellies. Alas, Berlin is quite far from any such innocent, albeit drunken, notions (actually, the drunken part is probably true).

When in Berlin, I gathered it is most appropriate to do as the Berliners do. So I took the U-Bahn. And the S-Bahn. And the Tram, once, which was an adorable left over mode of transportation from the East and built into the city's immense transportation matrix after unification. And also the bus. The bus was probably the most convenient. And when it came to catching all the best sightseeing there was to see – the number 100 bus provided all that the big budget tours do for just under 2 euros. The number 100 is double decker (as all the busses are) and goes through all the must-see sights such as the fancy Unter Den Linden street which is a broad tree-lined avenue with embassies, and supposedly stores, although I didn'treally see any. The bus then goes through the immense Tiergarten park catching an assortment of statues, monuments and then lands safely on the other side of Berlin and the busy Kuffersterdam street and the popular landmark, the Kaiser Wilhelm Church. The 100 bus makes a nice cut from AlexanderPlatz in the east clear through the middle of Berlin and lands on the otherside. Very lovely and highly recommend. Gut.

Another note on public transportation in Berlin, and Germany as a whole, the tickets are purchased and shown based on an honor code. Those without a pass such as myself are required to purchase a ticket which could then be used for 2 hours on any of the public transportation lines (U-Bahn, S-Bahn, this Bahn, that Bahn). These tickets, however, are never checked. They are bought under the pretext that at some point some German transportation authority will sneak up on you unexpectedly and ask to see some papers. Scary thought. This never happened in my week in Berlin and so I got savvy. I used a pass for up to 6 hours. I used yesterday’s pass. If any suspicious German eyed me and interrogated, I could play the uninformed tourist. And considering my German is nil (limited to a dirty word and a hello and see you later), I was pretty safe.

So although my lack of knowing the language was a negative point, the use of the public transportation system allowed me to experience the city like a local. Well, a local tourist anyway. Then again, I did learn how to say “one pass for A and B (lines) please.”

Now back to waiting and crossing my fingers for a night at a Chicago Airport Hotel.

More on Germany soon.

Podcast Episode 2

If you haven't done it yet, check out my second podcast episode made available last week. You can access it through my podcast website at www.avenuepodcast.com .

Also, if you have itunes, you can susbcribe to it through the link on the website. It's 10 minutes long and the sound quality is better than the debut. So check it out! And let me know what you think.

Freedom Biking in Paris

Today was an adventurous day in Paris. And, believe me, I was ready for at least some adventure. The reason? The weather. It was gorgeous. Since the sky for the past week has consistently threatened rain, today was a very welcome change. It wasn't only sunny...it was warm too. Finally, the summer clothes I packed for my trip have come to some use.

I started the day with a relaxing cafe latte with my family at the neighborhood cafe/restaurant. After lunch, I met up for a rendez-vous with Houari, a French Algerian friend whose sense for fashion and all things luxurious surpasses few others. Our first goal for the afternoon was to rent the Velib. The term is a melange of the words "velo" and "liberté". The ciy's mayor instilled a great new bicycle program where people can rent bikes througout the city. The bike stations are numerous and in many locations, and the bikes themselves are new and rustproof. They also come with their own lock. It's a great idea and the city is full of velib riders. Or, quite literally, freedom riders.

After a couple of unsucessful attempts at attaining a bike at stations in our area, we took the metro to Champs Elysées and catch a showing of "Caramel", the Lebanese film we had planned to see. The past few days have been ideal movie days since the ticket prices were slashed dramatically to promote good will among residents and tourists who had had enough of depressing weather.



The film is in Lebanese Arabic with French subtitles and was directed by Nadine Labaki (who also played the role of Layale in the film). It is the story of five Lebanese women all connected through a local beauty salon. The age of the characters run from early twenties to eighties and looks at universal issues, in addition to dilemnas specific to women in Lebanon and Middle Eastern women in general. It is a beautifully shot film and got it just right esthetically. I hope it opens in the U.S., although I believe such gems will probably be harder to find in America. In Paris, it shows right smack in the middle of the Champs Elysées. Go figure.

After the movie, we made a brief stop to my favorite Target doppelganger, "Monoprix". Here's a picture of Houari in front of the store:



Allthough it is very similar to Target in its superstore concept, The merchandise at Monoprix is considered more selective.

Afterwards, we were finally able to get a couple of velib bikes at a popular station off of Champs Elysées.


Here is Houari negotiating with the computerized machine at the station. Our first two times didn't work out so well, but third time's a charm!:


We then rode from the 8th arrondissment until close to the Opera where Houari wanted to make a stop at Zara Home. A recent addition to the Zara clothing brand, Zara Home looks lke a cross between a Pottery Barn and a Cost Plus Market (from outside anyway. I was guarding the bikes out front). The ride to the store kind of reminded me of Shanghai - the opperative word here is "kind of". Because although both scenes are filled with bicyclists, motorbikes, buses and cars, nothing compares to those crazy Shanghai intersections and their swarms of bicylists, and even a rickshaw now and then.


Around 6:30pm, we headed back to our starting point via Rue Rivoli. I love the impressive view off this street where the Tuilleries, Les Invalides, The Obelisk statue and the Eiffel Tower create aun unbelievable portrait of the city. We then rode back towards Champs Elysées and then Avenue Pierre 1er Serbie. The cobble stones were a bit hard on the velib, but the whole experience was exhilarating. Paris by bicycle is a must for any sightseer. Of course, I wouldn't recommend it without someone who knows the city's ins and outs.




The first day en velib was a success. Now that I have a week long pass, there are 6 more days to go. Long live freedom biking !

Dinner With Friends

My first full week in Paris culminated with lots of wine, good conversation, and dinner near Avenues Foche and Grand Armée where I attended an intimate dinner soiree at the home of my friends Ron and Michel.

I doubt Ron could have imagined a few years ago the wildly international turn his life would take juggling (or should I say, jet setting?) between Paris and Marrakech. I first met Ron in the fall of 1999 as an intern at the Museum of Tolerance and he later became my manager as well as friend (how could he not be? He is from Western PA, afterall). So I’m thrilled to be in France while Ron and Michel are here in the city, although I have promised to visit them when they are in Morrocco at their renovated house, or Riad, as it is called in Arabic.

I've always known Ron to be a great cook and last night's meal was no exception. The food was seasoned perfectly with lots of spicy stories from Morocco. One of my favorites was Ron's misunderstanding with a Moroccan woman's mother who assumed that his acceptance of her daughter's dinner invitation meant an intent to propose marriage! I guess they do things differently down in Muslim Africa.

Thanks to Ron and Michel for a charming evening and for walking me back to my place late at night. On Avenue Foche, we walked past the homes of dignitaries on what I learned to be the street of choice for high-class "ladies". What a uniquely Parisian mixture.

More soon!

Check out images of their home in Morocco and other great projects on Ron's website:
http://solitashouse.spaces.live.com/

286 Up and 286 Down - Arc de Triomphe

Today, despite slightly inclement weather, I paid a trip to the Arc de Triomphe. The Arc is the impressive French landmark built by Napolean which stands in the center of 8 thoroughfares including the Champs Elysee. They call it the Etoile - or star - since the Arc and the circumventing streets resemble a many-pointed star. There is a tomb of the unknown soldier from WWI continually honored by a burning flame.

The city today is largely bare - August 15 is a national holiday. Additionally, the month of August is a popular month for taking month-long vacations - something which the French are very fond of.

The Champs Elysee, however, was busy with tourist activity. My family and I took an underground pathway to get to the Arc. The underground hallway is necessary since the diameter around the Etole is filled with ever-connecting car lanes and acts as the city's nightmare for drivers - No lanes but plenty of cars coming and going in eight different directions.

In order to get from the base of the Arc to the top, we took 286 steps along a tightly spiraled staircase. The picture above was taken on our trek up to the top.

I have been up to the top of the Arc de Triomphe once before, but we took the elevator. I don't remember the elevator ride at all. But these stairs - well, they were memorable. A workout - but worth it.

The view from the top is lovely and gives a panoramic 360 degree view of the city. Here's one of the tree lined Victor Hugo:


Although it has threatened rain all day, our view from the top was pleasant with a nice breeze and of course a great view.

Here's me and my cousin Cyrus. Note how the little guy is balancing the Eiffel Tower on his head:










Here's us going down. You can see our heads looking up at the camera:


More from Paris soon!

Paris, C'est La Pluie...

I arrived in Paris today and have already been delighted with a brief torrential rain storm that took me somewhat by surprise while I was taking a walk through the Trocadero. I was deep in jet lag mode this afternoon and the commentator on TV only encouraged my heavy eyelids to droop further down. In preparation for my overseas trip, I had learned that fresh air and outdoor activity is a great remedy for jet lag, and indeed it is. So I wasn't upset by the unexpected rain fall at all. I quickly found some protection near the Musee de la Marine, underneath a round concrete kiosk-looking sitting area. Although the area smelt strongly of urine, I was fortunate to not get soaked like many of the frantic passerbys looking to escape the rain. For me, I had the time to sit down and enjoy it.

Once the rain died down, I was reminded why rainfalls are so beautiful. I walked back up to the Trocadero and saw the most breathtaking portrait. Fresh and clean, the landscape was painted with a wide arching rainbow stretching graciously from somewhere beyond the Musee de L'Homme to the Eiffel Tower. Needless to say, my eyes aren't drooping anymore. Welcome to Paris.

Meeting with the Mayor

I had the unexpected fortune of meeting with the recently elected mayor of Beverly Hills, Mr. Jimmy Delshad, at a special gathering of Iranian-Americans promoting the world-wide installation of a statue representing Cyrus the Great.

I enjoyed a tete a tete with the mayor, in which he discussed his recent trip to China and his intention of starting a sister city program with a city in the Canton Provence of the country. In addition, he hopes to create additional diversity-fueled projects that I think would well represent the international citizenry of Beverly Hills. This includes a potential sister city program between Beverly Hills and his hometown of Shiraz, Iran.

Mayor Delshad is the first Iranian-American to hold public office in Beverly Hills. I hope he will continue to be a model example of Iranian-Americans and Jewish Iranian-Americans in the country.

Longtime Respectable News Anchor Dies

Hal Fishman, a longtime fixture on Los Angeles news, has passed away. He was an honnest and respectable voice on KTLA's nightly news at 10 PM. I particularly appreciated his candid and thoughtful opinions during his commentary sections. Although he was in his seventies, as someone who enjoyed his presence on the news, his passing was way too early.

Here is a link to the story in the Los Angeles Times.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv/la-me-fishman8aug08,1,2724152.story?track=rss

Shake Shake

Well, it's been a while....but there was a whole little shakin' going on in the wee hours this morning with a 4.5 earthquake hitting the L.A. rockbed. So if you are in the greater Los Angeles area and were awake around 1 AM, that wasn't just an unexpected visit from the dump truck causing a raucus down your street.

It's actually nice to get a little reminder every once in a while that L.A is L.A., where you should never rely on the stability of the ground beneath your feet and always aim for the big and beautiful sky instead.

ICE ICE...baby

According to Prevention Magazine and the American College of Emergency Physicians, all mobile phone users should "ICE" their cell. ICE stands for In Case of Emergency - Medical responders in the emergency room check patients' cell phones for their ICE contacts when seriously hurt.

The Prevention article from Febuary notes that a recent study found that although 27% of cell phone owners heard about ICE, only 9% had actually done it.

So add a couple of ICE contacts to make it easier for someone to contact your loved ones in case of an emergency.

Letter to the L.A. Times and Borzou Daragahi

On July 26, L.A. Times correspondent Borzou Daragahi printed an article on the commemoration of the death's of the Shah of Iran and Anwar Sadat in Egypt. Here's the link that article:http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-shah26jul26,1,1882469.story?ctrack=2&cset=true


Here's the letter I sent to the Times:

Thank you for Borzou Daragahi's article on the anniversary of the Shah's death - Although I must admit it was somewhat petty - taking shots at Iranians because of their clothes and perfume. Did he expect them to wear fanny packs and sweat pants?

I don't doubt there may have been fluff surrounding some of those mourners - But in truth, I believe there is often a mob mentality regarding a lot of people, and "monarchists" are no different thanintellectuals, communists, revolutionaries and evidently, journalists.

As an Iranian-American Angeleno, I think Mr. Daragahi could have created a piece that really looked at the significance of the Shah in today's global context and in relation to the hundred thousand of Iranians and Iranian-Americans who live in Los Angeles today.What he failed to do wasacknowledge his audience - scores of respectable, intelligent and proud Iranian L.A Times readers, many of whom supported the Shah and most of whom revile the consequences of the Islamic revolution - and who at the very least, can view that man's great accomplishments and failings objectively - something that is usually expected of journalists like himself.

But like I said, some Iranians like the fluff, and it seems that Mr. Daragahi is no exception.

Respectfully,

The American Monarchists - Say It Ain't So

Gossip columns including my favorite daily rag,"The Daily Dish" in the San Francisco Chronicle, regularly publish the shocking tales of egotistical celebrities and their outlandish requests.

What was on the menu this past week? Sting goes to a *posh* Miami eatery with his own personal chef in tow. The Dish reports that his assistant made these special arrangements beforehand (as a former personal assistant, any good celebrity does this). Earlier in the week, Prince requests old-fashioned popcorn as part of his deal to headline a concert. Before that, Babs demands hotel employees to avert their eyes when speaking to her. Did they really need to be told this?

Don't people already know that if you look deep into the eyes of a celebrity, you will be fired up, zapped away, time-warped and incinerated by their steely gaze into an alternate universe full of designer couture, E! True Hollywood Story reruns and David Beckham posters? Or maybe, they just don't want you to know they lack a soul - the kind us normal folk have. The truth, such a request is not all that preposterous. In the world of celebrity, actors are the royals and everyone else is, well, those peons who do their bidding.

It's kind of ironic that my favorite celebrity rag, and as far as I know, the only one that associates itself with a big city newspaper like the San Francisco Chronicle, is, well, a product of the city by the bay. The Chronicle is liberal....very liberal. They are environmental, intellectual, and I'm sure quite anti-monarchical.

And yet, celebrities are far less worthy than your decent run of the mill monarch. Celebrities, for example, make more money and have less good works to show for it. Unless third-world baby collecting à la Angelina counts as good works. They chose to be a celebrity - in fact, that was their goal. I wonder how many child monarchs over the course of history felt conflicted, depressed or under-prepared for their role. Ask any celebrity (or just plain any actor) and they feel they deserve all the great things they get. They aren’t conflicted. Shoot, they are the crème de la crème! Gods gift to everyone!

This also applies to lukewarm celebrities, even cold celebrities. Does anyone watch Kathy Griffin's "My Life on the D-List?" Sure she's funny and the fact that her personal assistant has a personal assistant is a hoot (actually, I could have used a personal assistant when I was a P.A.), but even she herself mentions she is a D-list celebrity – and do you see how she lives? I wish I was a D-List celebrity to live in a bangin’ Hollywood Hills home like that.

So no matter what level of celebrity-dom someone belongs to, they all feel entitled. And, in a way, that’s part of the attitude required to be successful in the entertainment business. But it’s not all. ‘Cause most of the Midwestern-transplants, college dropouts and the assortment of actors and singers in the L.A. area feel entitled but they don’t deserve a damn.

The other part of the equation is hard work and perseverance. You are not going to get by only with a pretty face and a nice rack. You have to work hard and be diligent. You have to be shrewd and conniving. You can’t just be in the right room – you have to know how to work it.

So maybe that’s why people put up with so much from famous actors and actresses. They know how to get what they want. And as far as all the peons of normal people, or celebrity wannabes, who follow their every whim and fancy and latest purchase by reading those gossip columns (nestled inside those uber-leftist newspapers) – welcome to American Royalty. Bush may be your president. But face it – Paris Hilton is your Queen.

Becoming Jane Austen

As a new member of Film Independent, the organizations that includes filmmakers and film lovers and is comprised of the voting body of the Spirit Awards, I'm invited to preview screenings throughout the year (amongst other perks). I attended my first screening (sponsored by the Sundance Channel and InStyle) this past Monday.

They screened the upcoming Miramax pic "Becoming Jane". It is a sweeping narrative that chronicles the supposed love affair between Jane Austen and a young Irish lawyer named Tom Lefroy. It’s set to come out next month. It is documented that these two knew each other and engaged in a mild flirtation, but the story here is a work of fiction to entice Jane Austen fans and admirers alike.

---Just a word of ‘caution’ – this blog posting gets deep in “Pride and Prejudice” territory. So, read on if you know your stuff, otherwise you may be confused by the mention of several characters from the book. (by the way, why haven’t you read it?!) ----

Obviously, I was excited to see the film. And I took my aunt – the one-time owner of the 1984 BBC version of "Pride and Prejudice", which I co-opted, made my own, and saw about 20 times. It was especially enjoyable during long cleaning and packing episodes.

A film about Jane Austen is a great idea. There's definitely an interested market out there. And the star of the film is Anne Hathaway, one of the few young actresses today who isn't always in the tabloids.

The film has lots of good points. The supporting actors are excellent. James Cromwell and Julie Walters, who portray Austen’s father and mother respectively, are a joy to watch. Maggie Smith, who's character, I gather, is meant to provide the inspiration for Austen's "Lady Catherine", is top-notch. I wish all these actors had bigger roles. In fact, most of the supporting actors are good. Everyone except maybe Anne Hathaway.

Anne Hathaway's Austen isn't sympathetic. She’s more strong-willed and immature than a witty trailblazer. By this depiction, I cannot see how Jane Austen could have produced Elizabeth Bennett, one of my favorite literary heroines. If Elizabeth is witty, than the film’s Jane is precocious and obnoxious. One scene in particular with James Cromwell is particularly painful to watch - it made me wonder whether Anne is only suitable for the Disney, or chicklit-turned-maintream movie roles she is famous for. Her best performances were at the end of at least 3 scenes where she delivers a great line and promptly storms out. In fact, she is best at storming out.

As far as story goes, I initially found it hard to believe why Jane Austen would fall in love with a man like Tom LeFroy. In the movie, he has a bad reputation, is always tardy, frequents prostitutes and engages in basement boxing matches. He is depicted as careless and thoughtless. Plainly, he is the bad boy. Short, Irish, and bad. He is even blatantly rude towards Jane and tells her brother she’s too full of herself (We’re guessing this is created to mimic the similar scenario between Darcy and Lizzy) This causes Jane to fly into hysterics and question herself as a writer. Did Jane Austen really lack so muck confidence in her talent?

But like all bad boys, LeFroy has something none of the other men in Hampshire have – Charisma. It becomes clear that Jane falls in love with him for this reason – All the other men are effeminate, quiet and uninteresting. This Irish braggart is the only one who sparks any desire in her.

The film attempts to correlate their relationship with that of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth in “Pride and Prejudice”. And in parts, I can see it to be true. But LeFroy is much more of a Mr. Wickham than a Mr. Darcy. Who knows, maybe he was the inspiration for both characters. Although I think that the Darcy comparison is really pushing it.

I would have been more interested in a story that closely examined Austen's evolution as a writer more so than her evolution as a lover. I just don’t feel for these two as a couple. It doesn’t ring true. Also, the director’s choice of shortchanging scenes involving Austen’s writing are really irritating. There are instances where a grand musical score overwhelms Hathaway’s readings of Austen’s work. There are also too many montages. How many dissolves can one person take?

Although the film as a whole wasn't moving for me, the end provided some satisfaction. It actually left me, well, depressed. Jane's only hope for love is Tom LeFroy. When she turns him down (not because she wanted to, but, well you'll see, she actually wanted to marry him), she closes the door to anyone else. A woman's reputation was much more fragile back in those days and her options were few. I wonder, did Jane think someone better would come along?

At the end of the film, Jane Austen is "Jane Austen", a popular and well-respected author. But she seems so lonely and depressed that I wonder if it was all worth it. It made me think - In today's world, are a woman's options really that much more abundant than women in the past? Aren’t a lot of us just waiting for someone better to come along when this may be as good as it gets?

Despite these resonating qualities, I’m not sure if I would recommend the film on the whole. It just goes to show that no fictionalized movie about Jane Austen will ever be as witty, smart, well-crafted and memorable as the stories she herself created.

Update

If you never got a chance to read my article in the Daily News, "Valley's Iranians Celebrate Norooz", I have updated the link so it directs you to a crystal clear JPEG of the story. Please click on the appropriate link to your right underneaththe heading "Recently Published Articles".

Guess Who's Podcasting?

I have always wanted to do it, and in fact did do it, when I was about nine years old and made my own radio show using a bulky recorder and showcasing my favorite songs and hamming it up DJ style. Now I am entering the podcasting world with my own weekly contribution - The Avenue Podcast.

I will explore the various avenues of my life as a writer and Angeleno. It will include cultural happenings, interesting items in the news, podcast recommendations and a slew of infotainment from yours truly.

Please bear in mind this is my first foray into the digital aural connection, so future episodes will only sound better!

My podcast website is www.avenuepodcast.com

My debut episode is about 10 minutes long. It's entitled "Debut! Chewed Circus Peanuts, Valley Theater and Googling".

When you click on the listen insignia, it will take you to a Quicktime of my episode. If you don't have a current version of
Quicktime, you will be directed to download it. Otherwise, click on RSS button on the main web page, on the right hand side. This will take you to the RSS page and the available MP3 version which should be compatible.

Thanks for listening.