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