Saturday, December 29, 2007

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.

Monday, December 17, 2007

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.

Friday, December 14, 2007

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.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

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.

Friday, December 7, 2007

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.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

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!

Monday, December 3, 2007

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.